tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2010 Issue 2

READER QUESTIONS: Laser Requires Medical Necessity

Question: How should we code a pulse-dye laser used to treat a patient's surgical scar? Louisiana Subscriber Answer: The most descriptive code is 17110 (Destruction [e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement), of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions; up to 14 lesions). This code includes laser destruction of scar tissue. Coverage for this procedure might depend on the diagnosis. For instance payers might cover laser destruction of a keloid scar (701.4) or a scar that caused a medical problem such as pain or limited range of motion. Payers may consider...

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