AMA CPT® Assistant - 2007 Issue 12 (December)

Surgery: Integumentary System (December 2007)

December 2007 page 8c Coding Communication:Surgery: Integumentary System Question: What is the appropriate code to report a skinsparing mastectomy? Answer: When the physician describes a skin-sparing mastectomy, they are performing a subcutaneous mastectomy (ie, 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 but does not change the subcutaneous dissection performed. Sparing the nipple is sometimes difficult because an inadequate blood supply may lead to its future loss. If the surgeon believes more work is...

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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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