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General Surgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Beware Breast-Plus-Lymph Pitfall

Published on Fri Nov 20, 2020

Question: The op report documents excision of the left upper-outer breast quadrant and a complete left axillary lymphadenectomy. Should we code this as 19301 plus 38745 because it is a complete lymphadenectomy? Oklahoma Subscriber Answer: You should not bill this case as 19301 (Mastectomy, partial (eg, lumpectomy, tylectomy, quadrantectomy, segmentectomy) and 38745 (Axillary lymphadenectomy; complete). Instead, you should code this [...]
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