Surgery: Integumentary System (Q&A) (December 2017)

December 2017 page 13 Surgery: Integumentary System Question: What is the appropriate code to report fractional ablative CO 2 laser therapy performed to treat function-limiting hypertrophic burn scars? Answer: Currently, there is no specific Current Procedural Terminology (CPT ® ) code to report this procedure. Therefore, it is appropriate to report code 17999 , Unlisted procedure, skin, mucous membrane and subcutaneous tissue, for this procedure. When reporting an unlisted code to describe a procedure or service, it is necessary to submit supporting documentation (eg, procedure report) along with the claim to provide an adequate description of the nature, extent, and...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article discusses coding questions in the integumentary surgery section of CPT Assistant. It focuses on how one should identify the appropriate reporting approach for a laser treatment question and a breast reconstruction revision question, and it notes the timing of a Category III code update effective in 2018. The piece is useful for coders, auditors, and clinical documentation staff who work with surgical coding guidance and need to understand the scope of the CPT advisory discussion.

Why This Topic Matters

This Q&A can help coding professionals determine whether the article is relevant to scar treatment and reconstructed breast revision documentation issues, while also signaling a CPT update effective date that may affect reporting after year-end.

Article Sections

  1. December 2017 page 13

    A brief page heading identifying the publication location and time period for the Q&A material. The content that follows addresses integumentary surgery coding questions and related CPT guidance.

What You Will Learn

  • How the article frames coding questions in integumentary surgery
  • The type of CPT guidance discussed for a laser treatment scenario
  • The scope of guidance discussed for a reconstructed breast revision scenario
  • Where the article references an effective-date change for newer CPT reporting options

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Coding auditors
  • Billing staff
  • Clinical documentation specialists
  • Revenue cycle professionals

Codes Discussed


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