ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert
AMA Shuts Down 'Layer Closure' Repair Descriptor
Question: I have heard that there are some new codes for intermediate closure repairs in CPT 2009. Is this true, and if so, what are the changes? Montana Subscriber Answer: CPT revised code descriptors for intermediate repairs (12031-12057) in 2009, says Jill M. Young, CPC-ED, CPC-IM, president of Young Medical Con-sulting LLC in East Lansing, Mich. In 2008, the codes represented "Layer closure of wounds - ." In 2009, the descriptors will all begin with "Repair, intermediate - ." The change comes in order to make descriptors for all three levels of repair uniform, according to Young. The other codes in the set represent "simple" (12001-12021) and "complex" (13100-13160) repair, with no mention of "layers." This caused some coders to trip up when filing wound repair claims; "this change should remove any confusion," Young relays. Check out CPT's description of intermediate wound repair: "Require[s] layered closure of one or more of the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue and superficial (non-muscle) fascia, in addition to the skin (epidermal and dermal) closure." -- Reader Questions and You Be the Coder reviewed by Michael A. Granovsky, MD, CPC, FACEP, president of MRSI, an ED coding and billing company in Woburn, Mass
ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert
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AMA Shuts Down 'Layer Closure' Repair Descriptor
Question: I have heard that there are some new codes for intermediate closure repairs in [...]
