tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2009 Issue 13

READER QUESTIONS: Anatomy ID Vital When Grouping Repairs

Question: My ED physician performed a complex repair of a lacerated left ring finger. After performing a level-three E/M, the physician documented that there were two lacerations. One was a 6 cm cut with partial-thickness skin loss and a severed digital artery. The other was a 10 cm V-shaped laceration on the left index finger extending down to the tendon sheath with partial-thickness skin loss. The physician spent more than an hour repairing these two lacerations. My thought was to use 13132 with +13133. How do I code both lacerations? Also, what modifier I should use? Michigan Subscriber Answer:...

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