tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2010 Issue 6

Reader Questions: Wide Excision Leads to Various Codes

Question: What is the appropriate code for a procedure that the surgeon describes as "wide excision of the skin, subcutaneous tissues and some fascia of abdominal wall measuring 20 cm x 10 cm."? Tennessee SubscriberAnswer: The procedure description you've given doesn't provide enough information to assign a definitive code. You'll need to look for other clues in the documentation, such as whether this is a reexcision of a malignant lesion or an excision/resection of a soft tissue tumor. That said, look at the following coding possibilities:Option 1: For a soft tissue tumor you might use 22903 (Excision, tumor...

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