Procedure · Updated Aug 1, 2026
Cholesterol test: CPT code and Medicare rate
A lipid panel — the standard cholesterol test, bundling total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides, from which LDL is normally calculated.
Also called: lipid panel, lipid profile, cholesterol panel.
Usually billed as
80061 has no national Medicare amount in the Q3 2026 release — its status is statutory exclusion. What Medicare pays depends on the circumstances of the individual claim.
A separate direct LDL measurement (83721) is ordered when the calculated LDL would be unreliable, typically because triglycerides are high.
Common questions
- Cholesterol test: which code is it?
- 80061 — Lipid Panel. A lipid panel — the standard cholesterol test, bundling total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides, from which LDL is normally calculated.
- Cholesterol test: how much does Medicare pay?
- 80061 has no national Medicare amount in the Q3 2026 release — its status is statutory exclusion. What Medicare pays depends on the specific circumstances of the claim.
- Cholesterol test: what else affects the billing?
- A separate direct LDL measurement (83721) is ordered when the calculated LDL would be unreliable, typically because triglycerides are high.
Need the rate where you practice?
Every code page carries the full locality breakdown, the RVU and GPCI inputs, and the release that answered.
Keep exploring
This page maps everyday language to the code a claim normally carries. It is general information about how Medicare prices a service, not coding advice for a specific claim — the correct code always depends on what was actually documented and performed.
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