CPT 87491: Chlamydia Detection, Amplified Probe
Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), Chlamydia trachomatis, amplified probe technique. The standard screening test for chlamydia infection.
Why CPT 87491 Claims Get Denied
Claims billed under CPT 87491 are frequently denied or downcoded for the following reasons. Understanding these patterns helps your practice reduce denial rates and recover revenue faster.
Screening frequency exceeds guidelines
Not medically necessary for the patient's age/gender
Missing diagnosis code supporting testing
Duplicate with combined CT/GC test
Billing Tips for CPT 87491
USPSTF recommends screening sexually active women under 25 and at-risk women 25+. Use Z11.8 for screening encounters. If combined CT/GC test is performed, verify whether to bill separately or with a combination code per the payer.
Documentation Requirements
To support a clean claim for CPT 87491, your clinical documentation should include:
Provider order with clinical indication
Risk assessment documentation for screening
Specimen source documented
Results with notification to patient
Reduce CPT 87491 Denials by 60%
RediClaim's pre-submission scrubber catches documentation gaps and coding errors before you submit, while the appeal generator handles denials that slip through.