ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: I have heard that there are some new codes for intermediate closure repairs in CPT 2009. Is this true, and if so, what are the changes? Montana Subscriber Answer: CPT revised code descriptors for intermediate repairs (12031-12057) in 2009, says Jill M. Young, CPC-ED, CPC-IM, president of Young Medical Con-sulting LLC in East Lansing, Mich. In 2008, the codes represented "Layer closure of wounds - ." In 2009, the descriptors will all begin with "Repair, intermediate - ." The change comes in order to make descriptors for all three levels of repair uniform, according to Young. The other codes in the set represent "simple" (12001-12021) and "complex" (13100-13160) repair, with no mention of "layers." This caused some coders to trip up when filing wound repair claims; "this change should remove any confusion," Young relays. Check out CPT's description of intermediate wound repair: "Require[s] layered closure of one or more of the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue and superficial (non-muscle) fascia, in addition to the skin (epidermal and dermal) closure." -- Reader Questions and You Be the Coder reviewed by Michael A. Granovsky, MD, CPC, FACEP, president of MRSI, an ED coding and billing company in Woburn, Mass