Wiki Repair of Surgical Errors?

[lbarbar]

Hello,

i have a question about repair of surgical errors ….i understand that iatrogenic laceration should not be paid separately ..... but i have two questions:

1. what if it was a colectomy surgery, and there was extensive adhesions .... while doing adhesiolysis, a laceration of intestine happened and the doctor repaired it, should i code the repair? I mean it the laceration happened due to the adhesions not due to the doctor's fault ……

2. if another specialty was called to fix the laceration, for example: an abdominoperineal resection operation, during dissection iatrogenic small
injury of the urethra, urology team was called, and it was repaired........... should i code the repair?


i would appreciate your help

Thank you

 

[cgaston]

1. In this case the surgeon did cause the injury since the lacerations were caused by the surgeon lysing the adhesions. The adhesions themselves would not lacerate the intestine without surgical intervention, so this would not be billable.

2. The urologist would be able to bill for the repair since he/she did the work and they were not the person who caused it. Your surgeon would not bill for it since he/she caused the injury and he/she is not the one who did the work to repair it.

hope it helps!