# Help-excision of chronic wound



## graciejean (May 10, 2010)

The procedure is as follows: Patient has a chronic festering non-healing wound of the left knee. Procedure description: After general anesthesia and prep, an ellipticla incision was made and the incision using the needle point of the cautery on a low setting. The cautery was used exclusively for the patella. This was a full thickness excision including all of the subcutaneous tissue at that spot. The specimen was removed and it measured about 2.5 cm at the greatest dimension. Bleeding was controlled with the cautery. The wound was infiltrated with 0.25%  Marcaine. The wound was then closed in layers using #4-0 Vicryl in the subcutaneous tissue followed by staples in the skin. 
How should this be coded? I was looking at 27327 but path report says lesion left knee- acute and chronic inflammation and dermal fibrosis. No atypia or malignancy.


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## ewinnacott (May 10, 2010)

graciejean said:


> The procedure is as follows: Patient has a chronic festering non-healing wound of the left knee. Procedure description: After general anesthesia and prep, an ellipticla incision was made and the incision using the needle point of the cautery on a low setting. The cautery was used exclusively for the patella. This was a full thickness excision including all of the subcutaneous tissue at that spot. The specimen was removed and it measured about 2.5 cm at the greatest dimension. Bleeding was controlled with the cautery. The wound was infiltrated with 0.25%  Marcaine. The wound was then closed in layers using #4-0 Vicryl in the subcutaneous tissue followed by staples in the skin.
> How should this be coded? I was looking at 27327 but path report says lesion left knee- acute and chronic inflammation and dermal fibrosis. No atypia or malignancy.




Per the cpt book it says to code excision of benign lesions along with the closure code if the closure is more than a simple close which would be included in the procedure, which per the notes you posted, would be a intermediate repair. I would code 11403 and 12031. The 2000 series is more for malignant tumors


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## gared111 (May 16, 2014)

ewinnacott said:


> Per the cpt book it says to code excision of benign lesions along with the closure code if the closure is more than a simple close which would be included in the procedure, which per the notes you posted, would be a intermediate repair. I would code 11403 and 12031. The 2000 series is more for malignant tumors



The 2000 series is more for malignant tumors?  That isn't true at all.  You might want to go review the 2000 (20000 technically) section again.  That's the section where you find tumor excisions (amongst other things).  Tumors can be benign or malignant.  Very misleading post.  I didn't check the 11403 or 12031 for accuracy, I just don't want any newcomers thinking what you said is true about the 20000 section.


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