General Surgery Coding Alert

Pick Dx first to zero in on local treatment codes.Grills, fireworks, lightning, sunburn ... along with summertime fun you're likely to see an uptick in burn patients in your practice this time of year.But you won't see an uptick in revenue if you only report the E/M service and miss up to $165 for dressing and debridement of the burn site.General surgeons are often the first line of care for burns, according to M. Tray Dunaway, MD, FACS, CSP, a surgeon, author, speaker, and coding educator with Healthcare Value Inc. in Camden, S.C. "We're the ones they call to the ER to assess the patient and provide initial treatment before we ship them to the burn center," he says. Report Burns by Size, Location, SeverityBecause CPT bases some burn treatment codes on the extent of burns (small, medium, or large), you have to determine the burn diagnosis before selecting the [...]