Lab Date of service question

czook@ecommunity.com

A specimen and stored it for up to 2 weeks after discharge.

On this example patient is discharged and specimen goes into storage. 2 days after discharge the provider request that the specimen be sent out for testing. What is the service date of the test, when collected, when pulled from storage, or when test was performed?

goodje

https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/clinical-laboratory-fee-schedule-clfs/date-service-policy

From CMS: In general, the date of service (DOS) for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests is the date of specimen collection unless the physician orders the test at least 14 days following the patient’s discharge from the hospital. When the “14-day rule” applies, the DOS is the date the test is performed, instead of the date of specimen collection.