Wiki Debridement of Wounds

[kjoseph]

I have a question on the debridement codes....It now goes by surface area measurement and depth (tissue, muscle, bone). A wound can have a small opening on the surface of the skin, but the abscess underneath can be larger in area. I have looked on the cms website for clearity on this, but I cannot find anything written. I would think that it is the "area" that is being treated - any thoughts?

 

[FTessaBartels]

Surgeon must specify

Are you talking about an I&D of an abscess? Or are you talking about wound debridement?

It is the responsibility of the surgeon to give you the measurement of the area being debrided. This should be part of the operative note; for example: listed as 3 cm x 8 cm -or- listed as 24 sq cm.

Hope that helps.

F Tessa Bartels, CPC, CEMC