tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2017 Issue 1

You Be the Coder: Know Size, Location, Depth, Organism for Debridement Case

Question: One of our surgeons treated a patient with an abscessed wound on his left ankle by debriding the site and ordering a culture to identify any possible infectious organism. The area treated was about 12 sq cm and the debridement was “superficial,” according to the op note. The lab reported that the infecting organism was Staphylococcus aureus. How should we code the case? Arkansas Subscriber Answer: The correct code for the procedure is 11042 (Debridement, subcutaneous tissue [includes epidermis and dermis, if performed]; first 20 sq cm or less). You have to distinguish this code from...

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