General Surgery Coding Alert

Question: I have a surgical report that for excision of a 1.8 cm “cherry hemangioma” from the patient’s back. I’m not sure if that is a type of cancer, so could you please help me determine the correct diagnosis and procedure codes?

Idaho Subscriber

Answer: A cherry hemangioma is a benign integumentary lesion made up of clusters of capillaries forming a dome-shaped, red to purple mass — often on the surface of the skin, as you described. You are correct that you need to understand the diagnosis — whether malignant or benign — to assign the appropriate diagnosis and procedure codes.

Because this is a benign mass, the appropriate procedure code is 11402 (Excision, benign lesion including margins, except skin tag [unless listed elsewhere], trunk, arms or legs; excised diameter 1.1 to 2.0 cm) based on the lesion’s size and location.

The ICD-10 diagnosis codes for hemangioma are distinct by anatomical site, as follows:

• D18.00 — Hemangioma of unspecified site
• D18.01 — … of skin and subcutaneous tissue
• D18.02 — … of intracranial structures
• D18.03 — … of intra-abdominal structures
• D18.09 — … of other sites.

The best code for the cherry hemangioma of the back is D18.01.