tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2023 Issue Q2

You Be the Coder: Distinguish Lesion ‘Excision’ and ‘Destruction’ Codes

Question: The op report identifies a 1.5 cm basal cell carcinoma diagnosed by prior biopsy that the surgeon “removed.” I’m unclear if the removal is by destruction or excision. How should I code this? Arkansas Subscriber Answer: When the op report describes “removal,” of a specific size lesion, the procedure is an excision. Difference: Excision and destruction are two different approaches to treatment of basal cell carcinoma, although excision is far more common. Excision means that your surgeon removed tissue to eliminate the cancer and submits the tissue for pathologic diagnosis. Destruction describes...

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