tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2013 Issue 3

You Be the Coder: Consider Additional Laparotomy Services

Question:The patient had an exploratory lapartomy with extensive lysis of adhesions, subtotal colectomy, and repair of serosal tear on small bowel. The surgeon removed the transverse colon, cecum, and ascending colon, but due to the patient’s hypertension and multiple ischemic areas on small bowel, he decided to leave the patient in discontinuity, loosely approximating the fascia and placing dressing. Two days later, the surgeon returned the patient to the OR and performed an exploratory laparotomy, abdominal washout, small bowel resection, and ileocolosotmy. How should we report these two procedures?California Subscriber Answer: Payers may vary significantly in what...

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