Wiki Lap Recurrent Ventral Hernias

[Holliday]

Which code would you use for the Laparoscopic Recurrent Ventral Hernia repair and Laparoscopic Recurrent incarcerated Ventral Hernia repair?
the new LAP codes now have in 49652 (LAP surgical repair, VENTRAL, umbilical, spigelian or epigastric hernia........) 49654 - 49657 include
incisional hernia repairs. The open equivelant of this code 49560-49561
lists incisional or ventral for the repair. Would you use 49656/49657 or
unlisted code 49659. I know that incisional and ventral repairs are the same but I am a little confused with the new grouping of Ventral hernia repairs
with umbilical, spigelian or epigastric hernia repairs.

Thanks

Tena

 

[Leanne]

I also bill for these and was a little confused as well. But if you look at ICD-9codes for ventral hernia, the code used for recurrent ventral hernia falls under 553.21 incisional hernia...while spigelian & epigastric fall under 553.29 other ventral hernia.

So I would understand that to mean recurrent ventral hernias should be billed as 49656, lap repair of recurrent incisional hernia.