# Nurse Removing Skin Tags



## Captain74 (Feb 4, 2011)

I have a strange situation that I could use some guidance on.

Recently our office has been discussing skin tag removals and who can perform them.

According to the Coders' Desk Reference for Procedures, 11200 - 11201 states "The physician removes skin tag lesions.....The physician removes the skin tags with or without local anethesia.  The Physician uses sharp excision with scissors or scalpel, chemical...."

CPT states code 11200 is "Removal of skin tags, multiple fibrocutaneous tagsm any area; up to and including 15 lesions."

Here are the questions:
If the physician has taught the nurse how to remove them, can the nurse do it and bill 11200 under the physicians ID?

If the physician removes 1 skin tag (to satisfy the definition of CPT code 11200, since it would only require the removal of 1) can the nurse remove any remaining tags?


----------



## mitchellde (Feb 4, 2011)

No the nurse may not use these implements to perform a surgical procedure.  Removal of skin tags is a surgical procedure.


----------

