tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2008 Issue 11

Here's Your Wound 'Exploration' Explanation

Extent of repair will help to guide your code choice When your surgeon "explores" a wound, you may be looking at anything from a simple laceration repair to a full-on exploratory surgery, such as a laparotomy or thoracotomy. To make sense of the options, consider these expert-approved pointers. Look First to 20100-20103 In many cases, a code from the 20100-20103 range will be your best choice to describe wound exploration. Generally, explorations of this type occur when the patient experiences a "penetrating" trauma, such as a stab wound, gunshot, etc. Important: "You must ask yourself, -is this a penetrating...

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