September 17 , 2020 Question: What diagnosis code should I use for malignant melanoma of the left cheek? Answer: You should report C43.39. Since there is not a specific code for the melanoma of the cheek C43.39 (Malignant melanoma of other parts of face) is the appropriate choice. *This response is based on the best...
September 3 , 2020 Question: When using liquid nitrogen to for irritated actinic keratoses what CPT codes should I use? I have been using 17110 and my coder told me that was wrong. Answer: You should report 17000 for the first AK (Destruction (eg, laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement), premalignant lesions (eg, actinic...
August 20 , 2020 Question: My physician performed a lesion excision on the scalp which measured 0.8 cm and performed cryosurgery on the neck and destroyed 2 lesions. The lesion on the scalp he documented as benign. Can I report both procedures? Answer: Yes, you would report CPT code 11421 for the benign lesion excision...
August 6 , 2020 Question: What HCPCS codes can I report when the physician administers EXPAREL after the procedure in the office? I cannot find the code. Answer: Exparel is a nerve block and is sometimes used in the office as part of the surgical procedure and is included in the practice expense for the...
July 23 , 2020 Question: Is this a new patient visit? I saw a new patient last week in the ED for a wound infection and reported my service with the ED code 99284. He came into the office today for a new patient office visit. I documented a detailed history and examination and prescribed...
July 9 , 2020 Question: My physician removed a soft tissue tumor on the patient’s foot measuring 1.2 cm. Documentation indicates subcutaneous. He is coding this as a benign excision and wants to report CPT code 11422. Can you tell me if this is correct? Answer: The correct CPT code to report is CPT code...
June 25, 2020 Question: What is the appropriate diagnosis code to submit when I do a skin biopsy of the eyelid? Answer: If you are submitting the claim the same day, you could report D49.2 (Neoplasm of unspecified behavior of skin) since the diagnoses is unknown, but it is recommended that you wait for the...
June 11, 2020 Question: What diagnosis code should I use for a patient treated for two malignant lesions, one in the mucosa of the upper lip and a second in the mucosa of the lower lip? Answer: You will need two diagnosis codes. C00.3-Malignant neoplasm of upper lip, inner aspect and C00.4-Malignant neoplasm of lower...
May 28, 2020 Question: We had a Medicare patient who came in with AKs and a lesion on the eyelid. Twenty AKs were destroyed on the patient’s chest and scalp and an incisional biopsy was performed on the lesion on the eyelid, what CPT codes do I use? Answer: You will need to report both...
May 14, 2020 Question: Can a nurse bill a 99211 as “incident to” for a telemedicine visit? Answer: If all the “incident to” rules are met and the physician and nurse are in the same suite, yes. Or if all “incident to” rules are met and the nurse and patient are in the same location...
