Wiki Burn Scar Laser treatment

[Vcline515]

We have been getting conflicting information regarding the CPT coding for Burn Scar treatment with the use of lasers. We had been coding 17110 or 17111 - Destruction (eg laser surgery etc) of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions

Our new plastic surgeon has argued that in the case of a keloid scar, the lesion is a cutaneous vascular proliferative lesion so therefore the codes in the 17106-17108 range should be used.

Does anyone have experience with either of these code sets?

 

[kcap2210]

I asked one of my plastic surgeons and here is his reply. I hope it helps you. Again, coding is really open to interpretation sometimes. Especially plastic surgery, not everything is cosmetic.

"I would also favor use of those 17106-8 codes myself if one is using the perfecta pulsed yellow dye laser, because you are targeting the vessels in the pink hypertrophic scar. It's different if you use the CO2 laser to vaporize a scar - in that case it's like dermabrasion, and the ablative codes would be more appropriate."

 

[SteBr669]

Hello. I know that this is an old question but this is the only other person that I found regarding keloid scar therapy. Since you may have been coding the CPTs 17106-17108 for a while now, can you tell me how you may be coding these for a burn lesion of 250 sq cm or more?