Wiki I&D Abscess

[rleif1sun]

patient came in for abscess on left flank. provider removed crust with culture Q-tip and abscess began to drain. can i bill 10060? is the ICD10-CM code for abscess left Flank L02.211?

 

[thomas7331]

A Q-tip is not a surgical instrument and removing crust is not an incision or an otherwise invasive procedure, so I would not use CPT code 10060 if this is all you have - I think it is not supported and would be difficult to defend in an audit. I would use L02.211 as the best diagnosis for this location unless you have any other documentation or are able to easily query the provider for something more specific.