Blood products and blood acquisition and storage

BY GEORGE ARGES SENIOR DIRECTOR & CHAIRMAN, NUBC AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION HEALTH DATA MANAGEMENT GROUP There has been some confusion on the proper use of revenue codes for the reporting of acquisition and storage costs associated with blood products. The UB-92 data specification’s manual contains two distinct revenue code categories for handling Blood and Blood products. The first category requires the reporting of Revenue Code 38X — Blood and should be used to report the purchased cost of the blood or blood products. The situation calling for the 38X revenue code usage is whenever you need to report...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AHA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article covers hospital revenue code reporting for blood products and related handling charges under UB-92 guidance. It explains the general distinction between blood acquisition versus storage and processing, notes the Medicare outpatient context for transfusion billing, and references related laboratory billing for blood testing services. It is relevant to hospital billing staff, chargemaster teams, and coding professionals working with blood product claims and outpatient payment policies.

Why This Topic Matters

Correct reporting of blood product and transfusion-related charges affects claim accuracy, payment, and compliance with hospital billing standards. The article also helps readers understand the role of NUBC guidance in organizing these charges and avoiding conflicting revenue code use.

Article Sections

  1. Blood and blood products

    Discusses the general category used for reporting purchased blood and blood products under hospital billing guidance. It frames the distinction between acquisition charges and other associated blood-related costs.

  2. Blood storage and processing

    Covers the related revenue code category for administrative handling, storage, and processing charges tied to blood products. It also notes circumstances involving community blood banks and state-level considerations.

  3. Medicare outpatient prospective payment system

    Addresses the outpatient Medicare context for reporting transfusion-related services and avoiding overlapping charge categories. It also references the transfusion billing framework used with hospital outpatient claims.

  4. Laboratory services for blood testing

    Summarizes the related use of laboratory billing for blood typing, cross matching, and other testing when a patient receives blood. The section ties these services to hospital laboratory reporting practices.

  5. National Uniform Billing Committee and UB-92 updates

    Introduces the organization behind the guidance and mentions subscription access to billing discussions, the UB-92 manual, and periodic updates. It provides context on where the billing standards discussed in the article are maintained.

What You Will Learn

  • How hospital billing guidance distinguishes blood acquisition charges from blood storage and processing charges.
  • How transfusion-related outpatient billing is discussed in the Medicare context.
  • How related laboratory services are connected to blood billing workflows.
  • Which organization maintains the referenced billing guidance and updates.

Who Should Read This

  • Hospital billing staff
  • Charge capture teams
  • Medical coders
  • Revenue cycle professionals
  • Compliance staff

Codes Discussed

Code Ranges Discussed

  • HCPCS: 36430 THROUGH 36460

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