CPT code 87541: Legionella DNA, amplified probe2026 Medicare lab fee · Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule
This amplified-probe molecular test detects Legionella pneumophila DNA and is reported when laboratories test for suspected Legionella infection, including pneumonia.
Medicare pays $35.09 for 87541 under the 2026 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule: one national amount, the same in every state and setting.
Medicare lab fee · CLFS 2026 Q4
National CLFS amount
$35.09
In effect since Jan 1, 2026. The same amount in every state, payment locality and setting.
- Geographic adjustment
- None
- Office vs facility
- Same
- Since 2020
- Unchanged
- CMS updates
- Quarterly
Medicare pays the lesser of the lab’s charge and this amount. Patients usually owe no Part B deductible or coinsurance for covered clinical lab tests.
On this page 8 sections
What 87541 covers
This molecular test detects genetic material from Legionella pneumophila using probe amplification. Clinicians may order it when investigating suspected Legionella infection, including pneumonia. Clinical laboratories perform and report the molecular result to the ordering clinician. The code identifies the organism and testing method, rather than a quantitative result.
Report 87541 when the test uses an amplified-probe method. Code 87540 is for direct-probe detection, while 87542 is for quantitative testing. Medicare pays 87541 through the CLFS, with a 2026 national amount of $35.09, unchanged since 2020. The same amount applies in every state and locality, without an office-versus-facility adjustment. The test is paid only through the CLFS and is excluded from the physician fee schedule.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule data. Amounts on this page come directly from CMS files.
How Medicare pays 87541
Clinical lab tests aren’t priced like physician services. They’re paid from their own fee schedule, with its own rules. See the whole lab fee schedule.
One national amount
CMS sets a single Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule amount for 87541. There’s no geographic (GPCI) adjustment, so it pays the same in every state and payment locality.
No office or facility rate
Lab tests aren’t built from relative value units, so there’s no office and facility split: the place of service doesn’t change the CLFS amount.
Updated every quarter
CMS republishes the CLFS each quarter. New tests, often proprietary laboratory analyses (PLA codes), join during the year; existing amounts are updated each January.
Excluded from the physician fee schedule
The physician fee schedule lists 87541 with status X (excluded by statute), so the test itself is paid only from the CLFS.
87541 on the lab fee schedule since 2020
87541 · CLFS 2026 Q4 (current)
$35.09
Unchanged since Jan 1, 2020
27 quarterly CLFS releases on file, first CLFS 2020 Q1. A code missing from a quarter wasn’t on that release.
87541 compared with similar tests
- 87540Legionella DNADirect-probe detection$20.05
- Both concern Legionella pneumophila DNA. Choose 87540 for direct-probe detection and 87541 for amplified-probe detection.
- 87542Legionella DNAQuantitative assay$41.76
- 87542 is for quantitative Legionella pneumophila DNA testing; 87541 identifies amplified-probe detection.
- 87449Other antigen testEach organism, unspecified target$11.98
- 87541 detects Legionella DNA by probe amplification. Code 87449 is used for antigen detection, a different analyte and testing method.
87541 billing questions
How does 87541 differ from 87540?
Both concern Legionella pneumophila DNA, but 87541 identifies the amplified-probe method and 87540 the direct-probe method. Select the code for the method performed.
When is 87542 reported instead?
87542 is for quantitative Legionella pneumophila DNA testing. Use 87541 for amplified-probe detection rather than quantification.
How does 87541 differ from a Legionella antigen test?
87541 detects bacterial DNA by an amplified-probe method. An antigen test detects a different analyte using an antigen-testing method.
Does Medicare pay 87541 under the physician fee schedule?
No. Medicare pays this test through the CLFS, and it is excluded from the physician fee schedule.
Does the CLFS amount vary by location or setting?
No. One national amount applies across states and localities, with no office-versus-facility difference.
Where this amount comes from
FeeBase reads lab amounts directly from the CMS Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule file for the quarter: one row per code, with its payment indicator and national amount. Contractor-priced tests are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare payment limits, not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS CLFS 2026 Q4 · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file line behind this amount
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