Keep your critical coding and billing tools with you no matter where you work.
Create your Find-A-Code account today!
tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2015 Issue 11
Reader Question: Seek Margin Documentation for Lumpectomy
Question: Our surgeon excised breast tissue in a procedure he described as a “lumpectomy,” but the op note and the returned pathology report made no mention of surgical margins. Can we report 19301 for the procedure?
Utah Subscriber
Answer: No, you should not bill 19301 (Mastectomy, partial [e.g., lumpectomy, tylectomy, quadrantectomy, segmentectomy]) for a breast excision that doesn’t involve the documented effort to remove margins for pathological diagnosis.
Because some surgeons use the term “lumpectomy” to describe any excision of breast tissue, you can’t base your code choice solely on that term in...
To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci General Surgery Coding Alert.
Leverage vital, to-the-point monthly guidance to boost your reporting accuracy and your coding know-how. We make it convenient for your team to stay informed, compliant, and profitable with a subscription to TCI’s General Surgery Coding Alert.
Current newsletters added each month
Fully searchable archives - over 2100 articles
ALL years/issues back to 1999 organized by year and issue
Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
Code Information pages link back to related articles
This feature is currently unavailable for online purchase. For more information, please call 801-770-4203 or Contact Us.