Occult Blood, Stool

Test Code

OCCBL, POCOC

Alias/See Also

Guaiac, Occult Blood, Fecal Blood, Fecal Occult Blood, POC OCCULT, Stool Blood

CPT Codes
82270

Preferred Specimen

SPECIAL SLIDE (ONC) Occult Blood Slide

Patient Preparation

Patient Condition:
Whenever possible, patients should be placed on the Special Diagnostic Diet starting at least 48 hours before and continuing through the test period. This diet can increase the accuracy of the test results and may provide roughage to help uncover "silent" lesions which bleed intermittently.

Special Diagnostic Diet:
Foods to include:

Well-cooked pork, poultry, and fish
Any cooked and uncooked vegetables such as lettuce, corn and spinach
Plenty of fruits such as plums, grapes and apples
Moderate amounts of high fiber foods such as bran cereal, peanuts and popcorn

Foods to avoid:

Rare and lightly cooked meats, particularly beef
Cauliflower, horseradish, red radishes, turnips, broccoli and cantaloupe
Vitamin C in excess of 250 mg per day which may cause false negative results. Caution: some iron supplements have high vitamin C levels Iron rich supplements and ingestion of therapeutic iron should be discontinued 2 days prior to and during the testing period.
Aspirin or other medications which may cause gastrointestinal irritation

NOTE: If any of the above dietary restrictions and recommendations are known to cause discomfort, patients should be instructed to inform their physician.

Other Acceptable Specimens

Fresh Stool Specimen in container

Instructions

OCCULT BLOOD, STOOL: Seracult or Hemoccult Sensa - Stool Occult Blood Specimen Card

Send stool to laboratory in sterile container
- < >Place specimen on Test card. Stable on cards at room temperature for 8 days. Label card with date specimen was collected and patient identification information.
No more than 1 specimen per day.

Setup Schedule

24x7

Reference Range

Reference Range: Negative

Clinical Significance

The Fecal Occult Blood test is recommended for use as a diagnostic aide during routine physical examination to monitor for bleeding in patients with iron deficiency anemia or recuperating from surgery, peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis and other conditions, and in screening programs for colorectal cancer.

Performing Laboratory
CRMC Laboratory
CCMC Laboratory
FHSH Laboratory
CRMC POC (Approved Locations)
CCMC POC (Approved Locations)

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.