AMA CPT® Assistant - 1997 Issue 2 (February)
Debridement of Multiple Sites (February 1997)
February 1997 page 7 Coding Tip Debridement of Multiple Sites To report debridement of multiple sites, CPT codes 11040-11044 may be used more than one time, for a single patient encounter. For each site, select the appropriate code based on the intensity of the wound. When reporting debridement of more than one site, the physician reports the secondary code (ie, the second code listed) with the -59 modifier appended, to indicate the different areas that were given attention. Code Descriptors 11040Debridement; skin, partial thickness 11041skin, full thickness 11042skin, and subcutaneous tissue 11043skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle 11044skin, subcutaneous tissue...
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Article Overview
This article explains a CPT coding tip focused on debridement of multiple sites and includes a clinical vignette illustrating how the guidance is applied in practice. It is relevant to coders and billing staff working with wound care and minor procedure reporting, especially when multiple anatomic areas are addressed in one visit. The article also references modifier use and a short list of related CPT debridement codes.
Why This Topic Matters
Multiple-site wound care can create reporting questions for coders because procedure reporting may involve more than one CPT code in the same encounter. This article provides context for identifying the relevant code family and understanding the general documentation scenario discussed in the tip.
Article Sections
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Coding Tip
Introductory guidance on reporting debridement when more than one site is treated during a single patient encounter.
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Code Descriptors
A brief list of related CPT debridement codes presented for reference.
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Clinical Vignette
An example patient scenario showing treatment of multiple wound areas and the procedure context discussed in the article.
What You Will Learn
- The general topic addressed by the coding tip
- The procedure family discussed in the article
- The type of clinical scenario used to illustrate the guidance
- The coding concepts referenced for multiple-site reporting
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Coding educators
- Compliance personnel
- Wound care documentation teams
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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