Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Prep ABN for Skin Tag Removals
PDF
Question: An established patient requested skin tag removal during another service. The dermatologist chemically burned off the tag. How should I report this?
Answer: The insurer will probably not cover the destruction — and almost $90 is at stake.
Best bet: Ask the patient to sign an ABN before you perform the procedure, since many payers consider skin tag removal cosmetic.
When it comes to assigning a number, skin tag removal including destruction puts you back into the 11000 skin series, rather than the 17000 destruction family. The CPT® skin tag numbering system works this way.
Don’t miss: Link 701.9 (Unspecified hypertrophic and atrophic conditions of skin) to 11200.
Related Articles
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
- ICD-10:
WEDI: 29 States Not Prepared to Convert Workers' Comp Claims to ICD-10
WC insurers aren’t required to switch to ICD-10, but 21 states are doing so. If [...] - Practice Management:
Insurance Cheat Sheets Can Be a Practice Life Saver
Make these for your top five most frequently-submitted codes to save time down the road. [...] - Tricare Claims:
5 Tips Lead You to Tricare Billing Success
Have other insurance? This insurer is typically the secondary payer. Odds are your practice will [...] - Urology:
Tackle TURP Coding With 3 Expert Tips
Forget the ‘once in a lifetime’ mantra. While transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) procedures [...] - Reader Questions:
Prep ABN for Skin Tag Removals
Question: An established patient requested skin tag removal during another service. The dermatologist chemically burned off [...] - Part B Coding Coach:
Fracture Care Spans Multiple Providers? Try These Modifiers
When you divide fracture claims, providers engage in a 70/30 split. Let’s face it: When [...] - Physician Notes:
Dermatologist Faces 7 Years in Prison
Plus: Kmart to pay millions in False Claims Act fines. An Illinois dermatologist is heading [...]