AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2013 Issue 3; Clarifications

Incision and Drainage (I&D) of Abdominal Wall versus Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue

The patient is status post cholecystectomy and has developed an abscess of the surgical wound, involving the skin and subcutaneous tissue. She underwent incision and drainage (I&D) of the abscess. In Coding Clinic, Second Quarter 2006, page 18, advice was given to assign code 54.0, Incision of abdominal wall, for I&D of a post-operative wound abscess. Would it be more appropriate to assign code 86.04, since the abscess involved only the skin and subcutaneous tissue? ...

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