tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2007 Issue 12

Reader Questions: Cut Out the Guesswork in Lesion Excision Coding

Question: We-re confused about how to figure out the margin size when the physician excises lesions. Usually, the physician will give us the size of the lesion itself -- or no measurement at all. The physician sometimes includes a note that says something like: "2 cm x 1.5 cm x 0.5 cm." And sometimes, we get measurements from the pathology report. How do we figure out which measurement to use as the lesion, and which measurement to use as the margin? New Jersey Subscriber Answer: You should never try to guess the size of the margins...

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