# Procedure or part of E/M



## SHobbs (Aug 29, 2013)

Is there a procedure code that should be reported for this?  


Foreign body removal: EAR:
INDICATIONS: left lobe patient has an inbedded ear ring back.
POSITION: Seated.
REMOVAL TECHNIQUE:
Grasping foreign body with forceps: Moved the otoscope lens to one side and introduced bayonet forceps or alligator forceps through the otoscope lens. Gently withdrew the forceps, with attached foreign body, from the auditory canal.
COMPLICATIONS: none.


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## jimbo1231 (Aug 29, 2013)

*Don't think so.*

If the foreign body was in the ear lobe and the provider basically used forceps to pull it out , you don't have a foreign body removal from the ear or skin. The auditory canal was mentioned but I think that was just the approach the provider took to pull the ear ring out of the ear lobe. If they pulled something out of the canal you might have 69200, or if they incised the skin to pull it out you might have a 10120. But don't think you have either here.


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## OCD_coder (Aug 29, 2013)

Yes, you could include the work of foreign body removal as a "minor procedure" in the E&M MDM risk table information, since the actual procedure is hard to support.

You could ask the physician for clarification to see how he removed it from the auditory canal as the procedure states and then see if a procedure is codable.  But I question how that would happen since he talks about the ear ring at the back of the ear lobe.


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