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General Surgery Coding Alert

For NPP Burn Care, Select 97601/97602

Published on Wed Oct 08, 2003

When a nonphysician practitioner (NPP) provides subsequent debridements following escharotomy or other physician-provided services, you should not report burn codes 16010-16030.
 
Instead, if a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or other NPP provides debridement, you should use 97601 (Removal of devitalized tissue from wound[s]; selective debridement, without anesthesia [e.g., high-pressure waterjet, sharp selective debridement with scissors, scalpel and tweezers], including topical application[s], wound assessment, and instruction[s] for ongoing care, per session) if the debridement is selective (i.e., involves cutting or removing tissue) or 97602 (... non-selective debridement, without anesthesia [e.g., wet-to-moist dressings, enzymatic, abrasion], including topical application[s], wound assessment, and instruction[s] for ongoing care, per session) if the procedure includes non-selective debridement.
 
Codes 97601/97602 describe services provided by "nonphysician professionals (e.g., physician assistants, nurse practitioners, enterostomal therapy nurses, wound care nurses, physical therapists) licensed to perform these procedures, and are not reported in addition to" other debridement codes [emphasis added], according to instructions provided by CPT Changes 2001: An Insider's View, published by the AMA.
 
Because scope-of-practice laws vary from state to state, be sure to consult your state's regulations prior to claiming these services for an NPP.

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