AMA CPT® Assistant - 2007 Issue 12 (December)

Surgery: Integumentary System (December 2007)

December 2007 page 7 Coding Communication:Surgery: Integumentary System Question: What is the appropriate code to report a skin-sparing mastectomy? How is the work of sparing the nipple reflected? Answer: When the physician describes a skin-sparing mastectomy, he or she is performing a subcutaneous mastectomy, CPT code 19304, Mastectomy, subcutaneous, to remove the breast but spare the skin. The nipple sparing has to do with the location of the tumor and whether it is far enough away from the nipple and does not change the subcutaneous dissection performed. Sparing the nipple is sometimes difficult because an inadequate blood supply may...

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CPT® Assistant content is the official source for CPT® coding guidance. It is an instrumental tool when appealing insurance denials and validating coding to auditors. Monthly issues and an extensive archive provide comprehensive guidance on proper CPT® coding for past, present and upcoming code set releases. Archives date back to 1990 for historical use of codes, changes, rationales, coding tips and trends in the industry.

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