September 5, 2019 Question: When can I report a debridement in addition to a graft? I performed a simple debridement with a full thickness graft of the trunk and reported 15200 and coded also for the debridement, but my coder told me I could not report the debridement. When can I report debridement separately? Answer:...
August 22, 2019 Question: What code should we use for a chemical peel of less than the entire face? Answer: CPT codes 15788 (Chemical peel, facial; epidermis) and 15789 (Chemical peel, facial; dermis) are reported for peels of the entire face. There is no code for less than the entire face. When a chemical peel...
August 8, 2019 Question: Is the correct code for microdermabrasion 15780 or some other code? Answer: CPT code 15780 (Dermabrasion; total face) is for total face dermabrasion using a tool that penetrates into the dermis. Microdermabrasion only involves the epidermis, so CPT code 15783 (Dermabrasion; superficial, any site) is the correct code to report for...
July 25, 2019 Question: A patient presents for division and inset of a neck-to-ear pedicle flap. Should we report 15620 or 15630? Answer: The CPT codes reported for the division and inset are chosen by the permanent inset site, not the donor site. So in your case, CPT code 15630 (Delay of flap or sectioning...
July 11, 2019 Question: If our docs perform two adjacent tissue transfers on two separate lesions in the same anatomic group by CPT standards, do we add the ATTs together and report one code like with the repair codes? Answer: No, if two lesions from the same anatomic group are removed and both require separate...
June 20, 2019 Question: If one of our doctors removes a complex pilonidal cyst that requires a rhomboid flap repair, is the repair part of the code 11772 for complicated excision of the pilonidal cyst? I did not think so, but I know that each procedure includes the approach, the definitive, and closure, so now...
June 6, 2019 Question: My doctor did two adjacent tissue transfers, on the each leg of the patient. The ATT on the left leg was 6sq cm and the one on the right leg was 9sq cm. He wants to bill 14020 with modifier 50, but I don’t think that is correct. Help. Answer: CPT...
May 23, 2019 Question: We are hiring a scribe for the doctor because it will help improve his documentation. Is there anything we need to know about how to document this? Answer: Yes, absolutely. This situation should be clearly delineated so a third party reviewer can identify the provider who performed the service, and the...
May 9, 2019 Question: The plastic surgeon I work with has a question regarding billing. Some of the hospitals in the area have a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant on staff that see the plastic surgery consults for us. My plastic surgeon will also see the consult patient. The mid-level writes the note but my...
April 25, 2019 Question: We get calls from patients to renew their medications. When the patient comes to office to pick up prescription, can we bill for a nurse visit with 99211? Answer: No. CPT makes it very clear that picking up a prescription does not constitute a billable E/M service. *This response is based...
