Wiki Z12.83

[lacepaint01]

Is anyone aware of any insurances that are paying for a full skin exam with diagnosis Z12.83?
(Screening for skin cancer)

 

[thomas7331]

Is anyone aware of any insurances that are paying for a full skin exam with diagnosis Z12.83?
(Screening for skin cancer)

I don't know of any payers that cover this as a preventive service - most payers follow the recommendations of the US Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) in deciding what services to cover, and their position is that there is currently insufficient evidence to be able to recommend this as an effective measure to prevent disease (see: skin-cancer-screening). So I think it unlikely that payers would consider it cost-effective to include this as a plan benefit. I imagine the thinking is that if a patient is having a complete routine preventive physical exam by the primary care physician on a regular basis (which is a covered service), any asymptomatic skin irregularities that might require additional diagnostic work could most likely be identified at that time and there would be no significant benefit to paying for a separate skin cancer screening service.