Regulations regarding reflexive testing and narrative interpretations in laboratory medicine.

The use of reflexive test selection and patient-specific narrative interpretations in laboratory medicine is associated with a host of compliance issues and government regulations. Reflexive testing is associated with many advantages for patients and their physicians, but if not adequately organized it has the potential for inefficient test ordering and abuse by physicians and laboratories. Patient-specific narrative interpretations in laboratory medicine, much more than fixed comments generated by a computer with a specific test result, also provide clinical and financial benefit when done effectively. Regulations exist to ensure that the physician-provided information has clinical value. This report describes the compliance and billing regulations regarding reflex testing and narrative interpretations. The codes used for narrative interpretations in laboratory medicine are also presented, as well as the use of those codes to obtain payment for the interpretation provided.