Quantitative measurement of mercury in blood or urine, ordered when a patient has symptoms or exposure history suggesting mercury toxicity.
- Medicare
- $0.00
- Work RVU
- 0
- Global, days
- Region
- General
Documentation requirements
What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 2 cited references ↓
- Exposure history: occupation, diet, or other source
- Neurologic or systemic symptoms prompting the test
- Sample type, blood or urine
- Order naming mercury specifically
- Lab report with quantitative result
Applicable modifiers
Modifiers commonly billed with this code.
Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual
What this code covers
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 2 cited references ↓
Mercury testing in blood or urine is rarely an orthopedic test, but it lands on 83825 when it happens. When an ortho or spine practice does see it, it is usually part of a peripheral neuropathy or tremor workup where heavy metal exposure is on the differential, or a patient with occupational exposure who also has musculoskeletal complaints.
Do not confuse it with metal ion testing after metal-on-metal hip replacement. That workup measures cobalt and chromium, which have different codes. Coding a cobalt level as mercury, or vice versa, is an easy keying error to make with heavy metal send-outs and it will fail on review.
Payers want a reason for exposure. Document the occupation, diet, dental or industrial source, and the symptoms. A heavy metal panel that includes mercury may be billed by the lab as individual quantitative analytes or under a qualitative heavy metal screen code, depending on how the lab runs it, so check the lab's billing before you post a charge.
RVU & reimbursement
Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.
Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026
| Work RVU | 0 |
| Practice expense RVU | 0 |
| Malpractice RVU | 0 |
| Total RVU | 0 |
| Medicare national rate | $0.00 |
| Global period | days |
Payment by site of service
Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.
Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026
| Setting | Medicare rate (national) |
|---|---|
Office (PFS non-facility) Procedure performed in physician's office | $0.00 |
Common denial reasons
The recurring reasons claims for CPT 83825 get rejected.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓
- No exposure history or symptoms documented
- Ordered as a screening test
- Confused with cobalt or chromium testing for a metal-on-metal hip
- Lab already billed as part of a heavy metal panel
- Diagnosis code does not support toxicity workup
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 2 cited references ↓
01Is 83825 used for metal-on-metal hip testing?
02What does a payer need to cover a mercury level?
03Can 83825 be billed for urine and blood on the same day?
Sources & references
Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.
- 01CMS Physician Fee Schedule 2026
- 02cms.govhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/clinical-laboratory-fee-schedule-clfs
Mira Scribe
Mira Scribe captures the exposure history and neurologic findings in the patient's own words, which gives a mercury level a documented reason.
See how Mira captures CPT 83825 documentation