Wiki Symptomatic suture knots from prior Achilles tendon repair

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rjenn86

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:confused:How would you code subcutaneous nonabsorbable suture knots? Doctor is going to take pt to sx and remove. Would I use V58.32, or would this be a different code? Pt has sx elsewhere and our doctor has decided pt has symptomatic suture knots that need to be removed. Thank you
 
How long ago was surgery done, what has been done to treat pain since, how long after original surgery did pain present that doc decide it was from surgery and what prompted decision for surgery? What dx code(s) have you been using during this treatment time. All this depends on how you code this case both diagnosis wise and procedure wise. If anything is sent to pathology I would hold coding pending path report. Make sure doc dictates op note in complete detail DOCUMENT his every move. You would be surprised how much more he can bill if this removal is complicated. I had a case once where it turned out to be very thick hardened adhesions, doc had no idea and worked for almost 2 hours freeing up and doing lysis. With detailed op report, correct modifiers, we received payment in full for 2x billed amount because of time in OR and details of case documented. Good luck. Doc must note total time of case and total time he spent on complicated factor (lysis of adhesion), etc. Each complication, struggle should be documented separately with each time listed separately.
 
I am coding the OV only. This is the first time pt is being seen. He had sx somewhere else back in 2008. I just need an ICD-9 code for the suture knot?
 
My opinion is that this diagnosis appears to fall under a complication of surgery and the description your doctor has provided is vague. You can ask the doctor to clarify what "symptomatic" means (pain, infection, etc?) or take a look at 996.7x codes as a possibility. It's generally best to ask the doctor for clarification.
 
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