Hemoglobinopathy Evaluation

Test Code

HELEC (QNI)

Quest Code

35489

Alias/See Also

Hemoglobin Electrophoresis
35489

CPT Codes
83020, 85014, 85018, 85041

Includes

Hemoglobin A, Hemoglobin F, Hemoglobin A2 (Quant), Hemoglobin S, Hemoglobin C, Hemoglobin E, and any hemoglobin variants
Red Blood Cell Count, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, MCV, MCH, RDW

Preferred Specimen

Whole blood - full 5.0 mL EDTA (Lav. Top) tube

Minimum Volume

1 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

Whole blood from a full EDTA (tan-top) tube

Instructions

Patient age and ethnicity are necessary for proper interpretation.
Blood transfusions within the last 4 months may affect results.

Note: If drawn with lead testing, EDTA (tan-top) is required.

Transport Temperature

Refrigerated (cold packs)

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 72 hours
Refrigerated: 6 days
Frozen: Unacceptable

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Hemolysis • Clotted

Methodology
Electronic Sizing and Counting/Cytometry • Capillary Electrophoresis followed by, if necessary, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Setup Schedule

Set up: Mon-Sat; Report available: 4-6 days

Report Available

4-6 days

Reference Range

See Laboratory Report

Clinical Significance

The detection and proper identification of hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias is an important aspect of the evaluation of patients with anemia, microcytosis and erythrocytosis.

Performing Laboratory
Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute
33608 Ortega Highway
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92690-6130

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.