tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2005 Issue 3

Reader Questions: Layers Don't Always Determine Repair Code

Question: How should I report repair of an irregular, 3.5-cm laceration of the chin involving subcutaneous tissue and muscle?Mississippi Subscriber Answer: The repair meets the requirements for an intermediate closure in several ways and, therefore, you should consider 12052 (Layer closure of wounds of face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, and/or mucus membranes; 2.6 cm to 5.0 cm). An intermediate repair involves layered closure of one or more of the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue and superficial (non-muscle) fascia, in addition to the skin closure, according to CPT. CPT also states that extensive cleaning...

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