Coding Keloid Scar Removal

Watch out: Avoid this unlisted code. Question: Is removal of a keloid scar considered an unlisted procedure? What is the right code? Answer: Use 17110 (Destruction [e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement], of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular lesions; up to 14 lesions) with diagnosis 701.4 (Keloid scar). 17110 and 7111 [...] Related articles:

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What Diagnosis Code Do I Use for a Fern Test?

Ob-Gyn Coding Tip: Scan for leukorrhea signs when fluid is present. Question: My physician performs a fern test on a patient, trying to rule out rupture of membranes. What diagnosis code applies? Answer: If the test result proves positive, then you should report 658.13 (Premature rupture of membranes with antepartum condition or complications). Otherwise, use V89.01 [...] Related articles:

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Nonphysician Providers and Incident-To: Your Coding Questions Answered

Here’s why you should keep your physicians’ work schedules on file. Correctly billing your nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) incident-to services means the difference between 85 and 100 percent reimbursement. But if you bill incident-to haphazardly, you’re just waving a red flag at auditors. And those auditors are jonesin’ to find incident to billing problems. Just check out this [...] Related articles:

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Watch Out for 3 Telephone Service Coding Pitfalls

Caution: You may need to incorporate the call into an in-office E/M service. If you’re reporting services your physician provides over the phone, but you’re not getting paid, the reason might be one of two things — you’re not following the coding rules surrounding the codes or your payer just isn’t paying for those services. Check out these [...] Related articles:

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  3. This 4-Step Coding Process Grabs $125 Extra in Vasectomy-Related PaymentTurn to V25.x for your diagnosis code choice. Vasectomies are...

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