tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2007 Issue 6

You Be the Coder: How Does Depth Affect Excision Coding?

Question: The surgeon excised a lipoma from a patient's back measuring 5.0 cm x 4.0 cm x 2.0 cm. Should we select 21930 or 11406 for this procedure? New York SubscriberAnswer: The key to determining the correct code is the excision's depth. Assuming that the depth in this case is 2.0 cm (20 mm) -- which is greatly in excess of the skin's average thickness (2-3 mm) -- you are justified to report 21930 (Excision, tumor, soft tissue of back or flank). Although lipomas are usually found below the skin (and some sub-fascial/intramuscular varieties may...

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