Advanced Search

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Question:

Consider Malignancy Status When Choosing Excision Code

Published on Wed Jun 22, 2011

Question: A patient presents to the ED with several lesions on his upper body. The physician excises all the lesions with simple closures. The pathology report reveals the facial lesions are malignant and the neck and chest lesions are benign. The lesions, with margins, of the face measure 2.5 cm. The lesion on the neck measures 0.8 cm. and the lesions on the chest measure 3.2 cm. How many lesion repair codes should I report for this encounter?Minnesota SubscriberAnswer: You will report three lesion removal codes for your physician's services. On the claim, report the following:11643 (Excision, malignant lesion including margins, face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips; excised diameter 2.1 to 3.0 cm) for the malignant facial lesion removals173.3 (Other malignant neoplasm of skin; skin of other and unspecified parts of face) appended to11643 to represent the patient's malignant facial lesions11404 (Excision, benign lesion including margins, except skin tags [unless listed [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

View All