Wiki Pathology excisional Biopsy

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Kisha

Kisha

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Ok so I have so many answers to this and I'm getting confused. I bill Pathology biopsy services for Physicians charges. Now Im being told that excisional biopsy coding depends on the size of the specimen which would tell me if it would be billed 88305 or 88307. Ex: DIAGNOSIS: excisional Bx of cheek NATURE / SPECIMEN: (skin excision-other). being that it is excisional, wouldn't it be 88307?
 
If it is a skin specimen, then the only codes you can use are 88302 (skin; plastic repair),88304 (skin; cyst, tag or debridement) or 88305 (skin; biopsy). There is no 88307 code for skin. The size of the skin specimen does not matter either. I would say in this case from the info you supplied it would be an 88305. If the majority of the specimen is soft tissue and not skin, then you would be getting into the Soft Tissue specimens - 88304 Soft tissue lipoma, debridement; 88305 Soft Tissue (except mass) BX/simple excision; 88307 Soft Tissue Mass (except lipoma), BX/simple excision.

Dennis L. Padget has a great resource for anyone coding pathology - "Pathology Service Coding Handbook". I have found this an invaluable source for coding pathology. It comes in an electronic document form. Do a search online for it.
 
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Size has nothing to do with it. If it is an excisional biopsy of soft tissue it is 88305. if it is an excisional biopsy of a soft tissue mass it is 88307. If it an excisional biopsy of an organ listed in CPT, refer to that designation.

If it turns out to be lipoma it is 88304 without any qualification.

Good luck.
WK
pathcoder.blogspot.com
 
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