question on ear laceration

[adccouch]

hi - I don't do a lot of laceration coding so I need some help.

My doc did a simple and complex repair on the same area of the ear - do I bill for simple and complex repair with the different lengths or just bill with the complex code and add lengths together.

thanks for any help
adc

 

[nrichard]

You only add the lengths of the repairs if they are the same type of closure in the same body area. Since your MD did two different types of closures, I would say to code them seprately.
Per CPT
" When mulitple wounds are repaired, add together the lengths of those in the same classification and from all anatomic sites that are grouped together into the same code descriptor" "Do not add lengths of repairs from different groupings of anatomic sites, (e.g. face and extremities). Also do not add together lengths of different classifications (e.g. intermediate, and complex repairs).

 

[adccouch]

thanks for you help - I thought I could do separately but the more I looked into it the more I confused myself.