Pediatric Coding Alert

Question: Should we charge for removing sutures? What if they were placed in the emergency department?

Wyoming Subscriber

Answer: If you placed the sutures, you cannot be paid for removing them; the fee for removal is included in the laceration repair codes. If sutures were placed in the emergency department (ED), you can be paid for removal with a low-level E/M services code (99201-99202 for a new patient, 99211-99212 for an established patient). Use V58.3 (Attention to surgical dressings and sutures) if no other problems exist.

A higher-level E/M could be billed, with additional diagnoses, if there are complications such as an infection.