tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2006 Issue 8

Case Study: Count On More Than Depth to Justify Intermediate Wound Repair

Also, remember to check notes for E/M service If a patient reports for laceration repair to a wound that requires a layered closure, extensive cleaning, or removal of particulate/foreign bodies, you-ll likely be able to report a code from the intermediate repair set (12031-12057). Caveat: Deep wounds do not always require intermediate repair, says Caral Edelberg, CPC, CCS-P, CHC, president of Medical Management Resources for TeamHealth, Jacksonville, Fla. -Depth of the repair alone would not justify increasing the complexity. [The notes] would also have to indicate that a secondary closure technique was necessary, because some deep subcutaneous wounds...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert.

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