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Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Adnexal Mass Coded as Neoplasm

Published on Wed Aug 01, 2001

Question: Can an adnexal mass be coded as a neoplasm?

Maine Subscriber
 
Answer: No, because you cannot assign to a patient a condition that has not yet been confirmed. Do not code for a neoplasm unless you have evidence of one with the pathology report. If an adnexal mass is felt but the physician does not know what it is until he sees the pathology report, you cannot call it a neoplasm. After surgery, you will know what it is, and it might be a benign neoplasm, a malignant neoplasm, an adhesion mass or a cyst, among others.
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