Advanced Search

General Surgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Wide Excision Leads to Various Codes

Published on Fri May 28, 2010

Question: What is the appropriate code for a procedure that the surgeon describes as "wide excision of the skin, subcutaneous tissues and some fascia of abdominal wall measuring 20 cm x 10 cm."? Tennessee SubscriberAnswer: The procedure description you've given doesn't provide enough information to assign a definitive code. You'll need to look for other clues in the documentation, such as whether this is a reexcision of a malignant lesion or an excision/resection of a soft tissue tumor. That said, look at the following coding possibilities:Option 1: For a soft tissue tumor you might use 22903 (Excision, tumor, soft tissue of abdominal wall, subcutaneous; 3 cm. or greater) or 22905 (Radical resection of tumor [e.g., malignant neoplasm], soft tissue of abdominal wall; 5 cm or greater), depending on the diagnosis.Option 2: For a wide reexcision of a malignant lesion or melanoma, you should report 11606 (Excision, malignant lesion including margins, [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

General Surgery Coding Alert

View All