Wiki debridement vs. active wound care??

[iamjackiec]

Does anybody out there know what the difference is between these two codes? When / howofften the can be used? The podiatrist I work for see's many patients for serial debridements 2-3 time per week. We usually code 11042 for these visits but lately have been wondering if we should be using the active wound care code 97597.
At one point i ws told that only physical therapists should use 97597 but then I heard later that they could. I'm so confused! Help please!!

 

[espressoguy]

The debridement codes changed a couple of years ago.

CPT 97597 is now used for any wound debridement that does not involve subcutaneious tissue (CPT 11042), muscle (CPT 11043), or bone (CPT 11044)

When you are reviewing a note you need to know the size and depth of the wound to select the proper code. Also, if there are multiple wounds of the same depth you add them together and use the appropriate code and add-on code (if applicable). If the wounds debrided are of different depths, you would code those separately.