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tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2013 Issue 12
You Be the Coder: Check Hernia Bundling Rules
Question: Our surgeon documented an open cholecystectomy and repair of an incarcerated umbilical hernia for a 40-year-old male. Can we separately bill both procedures?
Kentucky Subscriber
Answer: You probably can’t bill both procedures, but the final answer depends on how the surgeon performed and documented the case.
The two codes in question in this case are as follows:
47600 — Cholecystectomy
49587 — Repair umbilical hernia, age 5 years or older; incarcerated or strangulated.
You should code the case as 47600. You should not additionally report 49587 if the surgeon repaired the umbilical hernia through the same incision...
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