Dermatology Coding Alert

An article in Dermatology Coding Alert Vol. 6, No. 6, "Code E/M With Wart Removal," incorrectly advised to report CPT code 17000 (Destruction [e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement], premalignant lesions [e.g., actinic keratoses]; first lesion]) for plantar wart removal.

The correct code to report is 17110 (Destruction [e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement], of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions; up to 14 lesions). CPT codes 17000-17004 are for premalignant lesions only. We apologize for the error.