tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2008 Issue 7

Here's What Wound Repair Includes -- and What It Doesn't

Warning: Separate debridement requires -gross contamination- You will often see wound repairs (12001-13160) performed alongside lesion excisions and debridement, but you won't always be able to code each procedure independently. Here's what you need to know to be sure that you aren't over-, or under-, reporting your providers- services. Report Lesion Excision First Never include excision of lesions, whether benign (11400-11471) or malignant (11600-11646), in wound repair. However, lesion excision mayinclude wound repair, depending on the type of lesion and the repair's size and/or complexity, says Linda Martien, CPC, CPC-H, coding specialist at National Healing Inc. in Boca Raton...

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