tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2011 Issue 3

Reader Questions: Distinguish Partial/Total Colectomy

Question: Does the following note for a laparoscopic procedure describe a partial or total colectomy, and what is the proper code for the procedure? "The mid-sigmoid colon was grasped and then resection was performed utilizing the GIA staple gun and a ligature instrument to transect the mesocolon. Two colotomy incisions were performed on anti-mesocolon border and a staple gun was utilized to perform a functional end-to-end anastomosis."Answer: The procedure you describe involves a partial colectomy, but this portion of the operative note doesn't provide enough information to assign a specific code.Partial vs. total: Total colectomy involves removal...

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
Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • tci General Surgery Coding Alert +Archives

demo
request yours today
subscribe
start today
newsletter
free subscription

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.