AMA CPT® Assistant - 1990 Issue 4 (Winter)
Excision of Malignant Lesions (Winter 1990)
Winter 1990 pages 2-3 Case-by-Case Excision of Malignant Lesions Operative Note: Anesthesia : Local This 46 year old female had two slowly enlarging ulcerating skin lesions on the left side of the forehead which have been biopsied by her dermatologist as basal cell carcinoma. The patient was now scheduled for excision for removal of the residual tumors. With the patient on the operating table in the supine position, the face was prepped and draped in the usual manner. An excision of the lesions was outlined with a margin of normal skin around the two skin lesions. The area was...
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Article Overview
This CPT Assistant article is aimed at coders and billing staff who need to interpret lesion-related CPT reporting in the context of a surgical case and broader lesion coding guidance. It discusses lesion excision on the face, pathology coding, and several CPT coding topics that affect how procedures are reported across the integumentary surgery section. The article also touches on indented codes, multiple procedures, and lesion treatment categories that require careful reading of CPT language.
Why This Topic Matters
Lesion coding is a frequent source of reporting errors because code selection can depend on lesion type, location, number of lesions, and how the CPT section is structured. This article helps readers understand the scope of those issues in a practical, case-based format.
Article Sections
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Winter 1990 pages 2-3
A case-based discussion of malignant skin lesion excision followed by broader CPT coding guidance for lesion-related procedures. The section also introduces examples used to explain how different CPT format conventions affect reporting.
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Laser Surgery
General discussion of laser-related coding concepts within CPT and how specific laser codes fit into the surgical framework. The section also references guidance from the surgery guidelines and example code ranges.
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CPT Format - Indented Codes
Explanation of how indented CPT entries are structured and how that format affects code interpretation. The section includes examples involving multiple procedures and modifier use in a same-session setting.
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Lesion Excision/Destruction
Overview of several CPT lesion treatment groupings and how they are organized by the number of lesions treated. The section compares reporting approaches across excision and destruction categories and emphasizes careful reading of CPT terminology.
What You Will Learn
- How a malignant skin lesion excision case is discussed in a coding context
- How pathology reporting is addressed alongside lesion excision
- How CPT indented code formatting affects code interpretation
- How lesion-related CPT sections are organized by procedure category
- How multiple-procedure reporting concepts are illustrated in lesion examples
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Coding auditors
- Dermatology and surgery coding professionals
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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