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Primary Care Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Include Post-Circ Follow-Up in Surgical Package

Published on Wed Apr 27, 2005

Question: How should I code when an FP sees a post-circumcision newborn seven days after surgery to check the infant's healing?

Illinois Subscriber Answer: You should consider the post-circumcision service part of the typical postoperative follow-up care. Most insurers allot 10 global surgical days to circumcision codes, such as 54160 (Circumcision, surgical excision other than clamp, device or dorsal slit; newborn). So you should include any related services that the FP performs during this time as part of the procedure's surgical package.
 
To track post-op care services, you could submit 99024 (Postoperative follow-up visit, normally included in the surgical package, to indicate that an evaluation and management service was performed during a postoperative period for a reason[s] related to the original procedure).
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