Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Your ENTs can say goodbye to lesion site documentation woes, thanks to this chart. Site matters, especially when you're dealing with malignant neoplasms of the tongue. Show your physician this chart to  demonstrate how each area has its own diagnosis code, and then you can easily follow the pointers to report the code every time.

Beware: You should "always try to get a path report when coding neoplasm regardless of the area," says Julie Keene, CPC, CENTC, otolaryngology coding and reimbursement specialist for UC Physicians Dept. of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery in Cincinnati. Why: "You never want to diagnosis a patient with a neoplasm unless you have to."