tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2006 Issue 9

Reader Questions: Depth Makes a Difference for Hematoma Drainage

Question: The patient underwent a mastectomy. After closing, she developed a large hematoma. The doctor had to return the patient to the OR, reopen the incision and clean out the hematoma. This took about an hour. How can I report this? Michigan Subscriber Answer: The correct answer depends on the depth of the hematoma.   The most obvious code choice is 10140 (Incision and drainage of hematoma, seroma or fluid collection), but this assumes a fairly simple procedure.   Because the surgeon had to re-open the surgical wound to drain the hematoma, a better choice in this case is...

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