Primary Care Coding Alert
Biopsy Versus Excision
Maine Subscriber
Answer: The distinguishing factor here is whether the entire lesion is removed or a portion removed for identification. Use 11100 (biopsy of skin, subcutaneous tissue and/or mucous membrane [including simple closure], unless otherwise listed [separate procedure]; single lesion) for a biopsy when you just take a piece of the lesion for pathology. The code is for the procedure itself and would not be billed with 11440 (excision, other benign lesion [unless listed elsewhere], face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips, mucous membrane; lesion diameter 0.5 cm or less). Code 11440 would be used if you completely removed the lesion and then sent it for pathology.
Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Daniel S. Fick, MD, director of risk management and compliance for the College of Medicine faculty practice at the University of Iowa; and Kent Moore, manager of Health Care Financing and Delivery Systems for the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Primary Care Coding Alert
- 2002 Diagnosis Codes Are More Specific Describing Asthma, Womens Conditions
Family practice coding professionals will rely on a number of important new and revised diagnosis [...] - CPT 2002 Has Few Changes That Affect FPs
Family physicians will find few changes when new CPT 2002 codes are implemented Jan. 1, [...] - You Be the Coder:
Coding the Get-Acquainted Visit
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the [...] - Time Is of the Essence in ADD Evaluation
A few weeks after students return to school in the fall and again after the [...] - FPs Inundated With Complaints of Anthrax Exposure
With the ongoing reports of biological terrorism saturating the media, many family physicians are experiencing [...] - To Bill or Not To Bill:
Telephone Code Refresher
While FPs spend a lot of time on the telephone with patients, most do not [...] - Reader Question:
After-Hours Codes
Question: A physician was treating a newborn who was jaundiced. He received the lab results [...] - Reader Question:
Anxious Patient on Medication
Question: A patient presents with complaints of anxiety. Because the patient takes Imipramine, the physician [...] - Reader Question:
Biopsy Versus Excision
Question: If a physician removes a lesion from the face for biopsy and sends it [...]
