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General Surgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Unbundle Biopsy, Destruction With Modifier 59

Published on Tue Oct 12, 2010

Question: The surgeon takes a biopsy of a left elbow lesion and, at the same time and at the patient's request, uses cryosurgery to destroy three plantar warts on the patient's right foot. Can I report both services, or is the biopsy bundled into the destruction? Hawaii Subscriber Answer: You can report both services because they occurred at separate sites. Lesion destruction codes typically include biopsy, but only if the physician performs destruction and biopsy on the same site. You can unbundle the services when the physician performs them on separate sites. On your claim, you should report: - 17110 (Destruction [e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement], of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular lesions; up to 14 lesions) for the plantar wart destruction - 078.19 (Other specified viral warts) linked to 17110 to describe the warts - 11100 (Biopsy of skin, subcutaneous tissue and/or [...]
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