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Urology Coding Alert

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Circumnavigate Circumcision Codes

Published on Mon May 24, 2004

Question: What's the diagnosis code for a patient unable to retract his foreskin?

West Virginia Subscriber
 
Answer: Use ICD-9 Code 605 (Redundant prepuce and phimosis). Phimosis is a condition of the penis in which the prepuce can't be drawn back to uncover the glans. Code 605 also represents paraphimosis -- the condition in which, once being drawn back to reveal the glans penis, the prepuce can't be put back in place.

When a urologist chooses to treat phimosis or paraphimosis with circumcision, report CPT Code 54161 (Circumcision, surgical excision other than clamp, device or dorsal slit; except newborn) and link it to 605. When a urologist "reduces" a paraphimosis (retracts the foreskin back over the glans penis), you may also report code 54450 (Foreskin manipulation including lysis of preputial adhesions and stretching).
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