Clarification: Codes 97601, 97602

The January APC Alert Reader Questions section addressed the issue of billing the services of wound-care center nurses specifically trained to perform debridements. Codes 97601 (removal of devitalized tissue from wound; selective debridement, without anesthesia [e.g., high pressure waterjet, sharp selective debridement with scissors, scalpel and tweezers], including topical application[s], wound assessment, and instruction[s] for ongoing care) and 97602 (... non-selective debridement, without anesthesia [e.g., wet-to-moist dressings, enzymatic, abrasion], including topical application[s], wound assessment, and instruction[s] for ongoing care, per session) are to be reported by nonphysician professionals licensed to perform the described procedures.

Clarification: The codes are not payable under APCs. Listed in CPT 2001s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation section, they are paid under the rehabilitation schedule.

- Published on 2001-03-01