Can you bill for excision of multiple soft tissue masses on the same finger that are done through one incision? In the example below, our doctor doesn't indicate where on the finger the masses were excised from so I will have to query him. However, I'm wondering even if he does indicate where the STMs were excised from, can we bill for both masses or just one since they were removed through the same incision? Also, any supporting documentation or articles would be helpful! Thanks!
"A dorsal curviliner incision was made on the dorsum of the long finger centering over the soft tissue masses. The incision was carried thru the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Hemostasis was achieved with bipolar electrocautery. The skin was gently elevated off the underlying soft tissue mass with a #15 blade knife. The masses were dissected from the surrounding soft tissue with care taken to protect the neurovascular structures and the extensor tendon. Both masses were excised and sent for microscopic pathology. The extensor tendon remains intact."
"A dorsal curviliner incision was made on the dorsum of the long finger centering over the soft tissue masses. The incision was carried thru the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Hemostasis was achieved with bipolar electrocautery. The skin was gently elevated off the underlying soft tissue mass with a #15 blade knife. The masses were dissected from the surrounding soft tissue with care taken to protect the neurovascular structures and the extensor tendon. Both masses were excised and sent for microscopic pathology. The extensor tendon remains intact."