14Tests on biopsy material — Group P5 (Tissue Pathology) and Group P6 (Cytology)

14 Tests on biopsy material — Group P5 (Tissue Pathology) and Group P6 (Cytology)

(1) For items in Group P5 (Tissue Pathology):

(a) biopsy material means all tissue (other than a bone marrow biopsy) received by an approved pathology practitioner from an operation, or a group of operations, performed on a patient at the same time; and

(i) a pathology service that comprises the examination of biopsy material is rendered under any of those items; and

(ii) a further pathology service mentioned in any of those items is also rendered using that biopsy material;

those pathology services are taken to be 1 pathology service; and

(c) cytology means microscopic examination of 1 or more stained preparations of cells separated naturally or artificially from their normal environment by methods recognised as adequate to demonstrate their structure to a degree sufficient to enable an opinion to be formed about whether they are likely to be normal, abnormal but benign, or abnormal and malignant but, in accordance with customary laboratory practice, does not include examination of a blood film and a bone marrow aspirate; and

(d) separately identified specimen means an individual specimen collected, identified so that it is clearly distinguished from any other specimen, and sent for testing by or on behalf of the treating practitioner responsible for the procedure in which the specimen was taken.

(2) For Groups P5 and P6 of the Pathology Services Table, services in Group P6 include any services described in Group P5 on the material submitted for a test in Group P6.

(3) For subrule (2), any sample submitted for cytology from which a cell block is prepared does not qualify for a Group P5 item.

(4) If more than 1 of the services mentioned in items 72813, 72816, 72817, 72823, 72824, 72825, 72830 and 72836 are performed in a single patient episode, a medicare benefit is payable only for the item performed that has the highest schedule fee.

(5) If more than 1 histopathological examinations are performed on separate specimens, of different complexity levels, from a single patient episode, a medicare benefit is payable only for the examination that has the highest schedule fee.

(6) In items 72813, 72816, 72817, 72823, 72824, 72825, 72830 and 72836 a reference to a complexity level is a reference to the level given to a specimen type mentioned in Part 4 of this Table.