post-op hysterectomy

[sandyt]

If a patient's wound opens up during the post-op period after a hysterectomy dowe charge 12021? We are are not seeing eye to eye on this. Some of us believe this is included and others think we should be charging. This patient's surgery wa on the !st of December and has since been in five times for a wound repacking. Please help!
Sandy Thomas, CPC, CFPC

[syllingk]

need more info. Is it medicare and was any of it done in the or?

[ajs]

Originally Posted by sandyt

If a patient's wound opens up during the post-op period after a hysterectomy dowe charge 12021? We are are not seeing eye to eye on this. Some of us believe this is included and others think we should be charging. This patient's surgery wa on the !st of December and has since been in five times for a wound repacking. Please help!
Sandy Thomas, CPC, CFPC

Basically, unless this is a Medicare patient, you can bill E/M codes for wound packing visits in the office if the physician is doing the wound care. If the nurse is packing the wound you can bill 99211 for those visits. This is a complication of the surgery so not included in the global fee. If your provider does a simple closure with packing then you can use the 12021. So how it is coded depends on exactly what is taking place.

If this is a Medicare patient, then all post op care is covered in the global fee, unless there is a return to the operating room at the hospital.