How to Bill a Dressing Change

by  Christine Woolstenhulme, QMC QCC CMCS CPC CMRS
Aug 1st, 2017

A dressing change may not be billed as either a debridement or other wound care service under any circumstance (e.g., CPT 97597, 97598, 97602).

• Medicare does not separately reimburse for dressing changes or patient/caregiver training in the care of the wound. These services are reimbursed as part of a billable procedure code that, commonly but not necessarily, occurs on the same date of service as the dressing change. If not included in another service, the costs associated with dressing changes may be reported as not separately payable.
• All topical applications (e.g. medications, ointments, and dressings) are included in the payment for the procedure codes.
• It is only appropriate to provide an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) for services that are anticipated to be denied due to the absence of medical necessity. Based on this information, an ABN for a dressing change is not appropriate since the costs of the dressing change are packaged into other procedures billed.