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Wiki Laser treatment for Vitiligo

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TSheehan84

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Is CPT 96900 correct for billing Excimer Laser for Vitiligo? Our practice has always used 96920-22, depending on the treatment size, but we are now getting denials. Insurance company is stating 96920-22 is only for treatment of psoriasis. Please help.
 
96900 is only for light box.

Although 96920 for excimer is technically only for psoriasis, some payers will let you use it for other diagnoses since there is no other excimer code. If they won't allow it, you have to use 96999 with a written description attached.

Be aware that Medicare and some of the commercial payers will not cover laser treatment for vitiligo.
 
UVB narrowband light box

I have a provider that is using a UVB narrowband light box and wants to know if we can use the excimer laser codes for this. She states it is not actinotherapy, I have found conflicting information stating that UVB light therapy and the excimer laser are considered the same thing vs you can only bill 96900. Can anyone shed some light (lol) on this for me please.
 
96920-96922

The descriptor for these codes is very precise: Laser for the treatment of Psoriasis. Vitiligo is not an inflammatory disease and therefor the use of this code is improper.

CPT assistant Sept 2016: Coding Example 5

A 25-year-old female with distressing vitiligo measuring 275
sq cm in surface area on the chest is treated with a 308-nm
excimer laser. The vitiligo gradually improves during the
treatment course. Although both vitiligo and focal atopic
dermatitis have literature-based support for successful
outcomes with laser treatments, the 96920-96922 CPT code
family is specifically indicated for psoriasis treatments. As a
result, each laser light treatment performed for the vitiligo is
reported with code 96900.
In summary, it is not appropriate to report CPT codes 96920-
96922 for procedures that do not involve a laser-light source
used to treat psoriasis. If no appropriate code exists, then the
unlisted code 96999, Unlisted special dermatological service or
procedure, should be reported, instead.?

Lin
 
Vitiligo

Vitiligo is an inflammatory autoimmune skin disorder characterized by the progressive appearance of depigmented skin lesions caused by the loss of melanocytes at the cutaneous level. It is appropriate to use 96920 -96922. I would verify medical policy prior to treatment as some payers do not cover this DX.
 
I work for a dermatology office and we are starting to do this treatment cpt code 96999. The description is for a unlisted dermatology code?
Could you give me some idea how to bill this?.
Thank you!.
Janethe
 
Send the claim as usual. You will get a denial or a letter requesting records. (Unless it is a carrier that accepts paper claims, in which case you can just send a paper claim with the records attached.)

By the way, I just learned that some Medicare MACs will allow it. (Ours in Florida does not.)
 
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