General Surgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Go for Modifier 58 Without Complication

Question: Our surgeon excised a 1.2 cm melanoma, but returned the patient to surgery three days later for another excision measuring 1.6 cm because the margins weren’t clear. How should we code this? Nebraska Subscriber Answer: You should code the initial excision as 11602 (Excision, malignant lesion including margins, trunk, arms, or legs; excised diameter 1.1 to 2.0 cm). Upon [...]
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