DecisionHealth, DecisionHealth - 2018 Issue 8 (August)

Don’t code for foreign body removal when the foreign body isn’t there

Question: A patient who steppad and cut herself on a piece of glass months earlier still complained of pain in the area, though the wound was healed. A CT scan showed increased density in the subcutaneous fat on the plantar aspect. Surgery revealed a large, thick, deep callus extending through the dermis down to the subcutaneous tissue and extensive scar tissue. These were excised but no foreign object was found. We’re using 28192 (Removal of foreign body, foot; deep) but is that correct — seeing as we didn’t actually find a foreign body?

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to the DecisionHealth Newsletters.

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.