ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: Our emergency physician sutured a bleeding post-operative seroma at the incision site, which was 4 cm by 4 cm. What is the correct code to report this skin closure?

Ohio Subscriber

Answer: The closure would typically be bundled into the procedure, and not separately reportable if performed by the same physician. CPT^® code 10140 (Incision and drainage of hematoma, seroma or fluid collection) would be the best code to describe the service if your physician simply incised a post- operative seroma. If the procedure was done by another provider and the patient reports to the ED because the wound needs a second closure, pick the code from the laceration repair section of CPT^® that best describes the location lengthy and type of repair that was performed.