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ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

READER QUESTIONS :

Separate FBRs From Rust Ring Removals

Published on Fri Jun 12, 2009

Question: Operative notes indicate that a patient reports to the ED with left eye pain; a small piece of metal hit him in the eye while he was working on a muffler. Our physician examines the affected area, and then uses a burr to scrape the corneal epithelium area clean of the rust ring. How do I report the rust ring removal: Should I report 65430 or 65460 or is this some type of additional foreign body removal (FBR)? Rhode Island Subscriber Answer: Both codes are inaccurate for this particular scenario. On the claim, report the following: " 65435 (Removal of corneal epithelium; with or without chemocauterization [abrasion, curettage]) for the removal " Modifier LT (Left side) appended to 65435 to indicate which side the physician is working on " 930.0 (Corneal foreign body) appended to 65435 to represent the patients injury. Explanation: While the ring itself is a result [...]
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