tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2006 Issue 8

You Be the Coder: What Constitutes Foreign-Body Removal?

Question: Our surgeon saw a patient in the office who had several small metal filings embedded in his shoulder after a lawn-mower accident. The surgeon inspected the wounds and, using tweezers, extracted the shards. How should I report this? Can I use a foreign- body removal code?Ohio SubscriberAnswer: Because the surgeon did not create a separate incision to remove the foreign bodies, you cannot report a foreign-body removal (FBR) code. Rather, you should include the removal of the metal filings as a component of whatever E/M service the surgeon documents (for example, 99213, Office or other outpatient...

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