ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Code Combos Vary on Multiple Repairs So you're all set to tackle any type of wound repair the ED throws at you. Not so fast: What do you do if the ED physician performs multiple repairs for the same patient? Check the encounter specifics. If the physician performs multiple laceration repairs for the same patient during the same encounter, coding will depend on the repairs' types and location, says Kevin Solinsky, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-ED, president and CEO of Healthcare Coding Consultants LLC, Added Value Billing Inc. in Gilbert, Ariz. Do this: Add all repair lengths of the same complexity in the same anatomical area, Solinsky says. For example, the ED physician performs three separate, simple repairs on a patient's trunk: one is 12 cm, the other two are each 1.3 cm. Since the fixes are all simple and in the same anatomical location, add up the lengths of the repairs [...]