jdibble
True Blue
Our surgeon operated laparscopically on a patient with a small bowel obstruction and was performing lysis when she nicked the small intestine causing an enterotomy. She proceeded to an open procedure, completed the lysis and then determined that the enterotomy was too large to repair, so she proceeded to remove that section of the bowel. She is billing 44005 and 44120. I know these cannot be both billed together and I know had she done a repair of the enterotomy that would not have been billed, but my question is now, which code would I bill?
Would I bill just the lysis 44005 since she basically had to do the enterectomy because she caused the damage - or do we bill for the enterectomy only. I have had surgeons in the past who did the enterectomy because the intestines were too badly adhesed, and billed 44120 - but this is the first time that I had a surgeon state they did the procedure to remove a portion because they injured it while doing the lysis!!
Thanks for all responses!
Would I bill just the lysis 44005 since she basically had to do the enterectomy because she caused the damage - or do we bill for the enterectomy only. I have had surgeons in the past who did the enterectomy because the intestines were too badly adhesed, and billed 44120 - but this is the first time that I had a surgeon state they did the procedure to remove a portion because they injured it while doing the lysis!!
Thanks for all responses!