Unlock the full potential of your medical coding capabilities with the CPT® Advanced Coding Pack from the American Medical Association (AMA). Designed for professional medical coders, auditors, and billers like you, this comprehensive suite of resources provides everything you need to navigate the complexities of the CPT code set with confidence and precision.
Advanced Coding Pack includes:
CPT Assistant - Newsletter with official education and guidance
CPT Knowledge Base - Commonly asked coding questions answered by the experts
CPT Vignettes - Comprehensive clinical examples.
Add to your Find-A-Code subscription for $300 / person
tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2007 Issue 8
READER QUESTIONS: Modifier Isn't the Issue for Wound Repair Closure
Question: When reporting a lesion excision (116xx) with a layered closure, do we have to add a modifier?Florida Subscriber
Answer: You shouldn't have to use a modifier when the surgeon performs layered closure to repair a lesion excision site. But depending on the lesion excision's size, you may not be able to report the closure separately at all.Excision codes 11400-11446 (benign) and 11600-11646 (malignant) describe full-thickness (that is, through-the-dermis) lesion removal with margins and include simple (nonlayered) closures (12001-12018). As CPT instructs, however, -The closure of defects created by incision, excision or trauma may require intermediate or...
To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci General Surgery Coding Alert.
Leverage vital, to-the-point monthly guidance to boost your reporting accuracy and your coding know-how. We make it convenient for your team to stay informed, compliant, and profitable with a subscription to TCI’s General Surgery Coding Alert.
Current newsletters added each month
Fully searchable archives - over 2100 articles
ALL years/issues back to 1999 organized by year and issue
Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
Code Information pages link back to related articles
Access to this feature is available in the following products: