Wiki Dermatology coding for biopsy

[jackie@cprmedicalbilling.com]

HELP, we have a dermatologist that always bills a 11100 (biopsy) whenever they bill any excision codes (11400-11446), we have another derm joining our group that states the biopsy code should not be billed only the excision codes. Can someone clarify when the biopsy code should be billed?

 

[mitchellde]

If the biopsy was the same lesion excised then no it cannot be billed. A biopsy is a small piece of a lesion removed to send to path, and an excision is the entire lesion removed to a depth of full thickness, therefore once the lesion has been excised there is nothing left to biopsy. If there are 2 different lesions and one is biopsied and the other is excised then you may bill for both with a 59 modifier on the biopsy code.