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Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

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Biopsy of Nail Unit

Published on Mon Sep 12, 2011

Question:  How should I code for the biopsy of nail bed and a 0.4- cm lesion on the left foot (great toe and second digit, respectively), for possible melanoma? Which ICD-9 code should I use?Maine SubscriberAnswer:  Wait until the pathology report comes back before you do anything, because the codes you need depend on whether the lesion is malignant. If the biopsy comes back as malignant, report 172.7 (Malignant melanoma of the skin; lower limb, including hip) as the diagnosis. You should attach the toe modifiers, TA and T1, to their respective CPT codes.For the biopsy of the nail bed for possible melanoma, use CPT 11755-TA (Biopsy of nail unit).For the lesion on the left second toe, it depends on whether you took a biopsy or whether the entire lesion was excised. If the podiatrist excised the lesion, bill either 11620-T1 (Excision, malignant lesion including margins, scalp, neck, hands, feet, [...]
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