Wiki Lap appy w/ exploratory laparotomy

[treacie smart]

Does anyone have any good resources for Trauma / General surgery?

Do you drop the Lap Appy code for the following procedure?

Lap appy, expl laparotomy w / ileocecostomy

The surgeon completed the lap appy, but found that there was bowel leakage and decided to do an expl lap. " the laparotomy incision was utilized from the supraumbilical port down to the pubis".

Thanks for any input!
Treacie, CPC

 

[FTessaBartels]

Lap Appy

For an accurate response to surgical coding questions, please post the scrubbed operative / procedure note(s).

In general, you can't code the exploratory surgery once you have a definitive procedure. So I would code the lap appy. You might be able to use a -22 modifier to indicate additional work.

Hope that helps.

F Tessa Bartels, CPC, CEMC

 

[Grintwig]

Did the physician actually perform an ileocecostomy?
If they did I think it's codeable in addition to the lap appy. Of course on of the codes will need to be modified and the OP note has to be specific as to why the ileocecostomy was done.
If all that was done was an exploratory laparotomy then you would just code the lap appy.