Calculating Body Surface Area Burned
- By John Verhovshek
- In Coding
- February 15, 2016
- No Comments
Codes to report local treatment of burns, and many skin grafting procedure codes, specify the total body surface area (TBSA) treated. For example, 16020 describes, “Dressing and/or debridement of partial thickness burns, initial or subsequent; small (less than 5% total body surface area).” Similarly, 15115 specifies, “Epidermal autograft, face, scalp, eyelids, mouth, neck, ears, orbits, genitalia, hands, feet, and/or multiple digits; first 100 sq cm or less, or 1% of body area of infants and children” [emphasis added in both descriptors].
TBSA is calculated using the Lund-Browder Classification Method. Lund-Browder divides the body into nearly 20 distinct areas, including neck, left and right buttocks, left and right hand, upper and lower arm, etc. Additionally, Lund-Browder specifies six age groups (to account for changes in body makeup as individuals develop into adulthood). Collectively, these changes allow for a more accurate calculation of the TBSA affected and, potentially, more exact coding.
An easy-to-use Lund-Browder Classification Method chart, listing TBSA percentages by body areas and patient age, may be found in the CPT® codebook. CPT® guidelines require that the provider document both the percentage of body surface involved and the depth of burn.
John Verhovshek
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