Articles

Spotlight on up-to-date coding

Screening for skin cancer

Dermatologists frequently see patients for skin checks, to examine their skin for signs of pre-malignant or malignant lesions. Some of these patients … [Read more...]

Diagnosis coding for dermatology

Diagnosis notes for dermatology Be sure to match the diagnosis to the procedure. For example, For skin tag removal, use skin tag For … [Read more...]

Coding for breast procedures: biopsy, localization devices, and surgery

From biopsy to localization device to mastectomy, coding for breast procedures can be challenging. This article summarizes the rules related to these … [Read more...]

E/M frequency data for surgical specialties

CMS releases E/M frequency data annually. A physician self-elects their specialty designation when enrolling with Medicare. Unfortunately, there … [Read more...]

Overview of Medicare telehealth services

Please see the Telemedicine article for the rules and guidelines for use during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Medicare covers some … [Read more...]

E/M frequency data for dermatology

For dermatologists, revenue in the office is generated by procedures and office visits. Often, both are provided on the same day, and CodingIntel has … [Read more...]

Repair (closure) CPT^® 12001–13160–2020 update

Laceration or wound repair codes are reported based on the type of repair (simple, intermediate, complex), the anatomic location, and the length … [Read more...]

Describe the exam | E/M services for dermatology

What do you need to document for the exam? Although exam is not a key component in 2021 for codes 99202--99215, it is still a good idea to describe … [Read more...]

Coding for Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Mohs surgery is performed to remove complex or ill-defined skin cancer, and the procedure includes both the surgery and histopathologic examination. … [Read more...]

Using Time to Select a Code | Dermatology

Some Evaluation and Management codes, and some other codes are defined by the amount of time of the service. This article reflects the rules for using … [Read more...]

Excisions of benign and malignant lesions | Dermatology

Skin lesion excisions are reported using codes from the integumentary section: Excision of benign lesions: 11400—11471 Neoplasms … [Read more...]

Other dermatologic procedures

This aricle reviews the codes and guidelines for these dermatologic procedures; Intralesional injections, photodynamic therapy, phototherapy, and … [Read more...]

Use of Modifier 58 for Dermatology

The most common use of modifier 58 in dermatology is for re-excision of a lesion because the margins weren’t clear. Benign and malignant excisional … [Read more...]

Modifier 51 or 59? How to know which to bill?

There are two modifiers commonly used in surgical specialties when billing two or more procedures at the same encounter. Appending the correct … [Read more...]

Coding multiple procedures | Examples with modifiers

Biopsies and lesion destruction codes are often performed at the same patient visit. This leads to questions about bundling and modifiers. There are … [Read more...]

Shaving of epidermal or dermal lesions

The chart below includes CPT® codes, descriptions and RVUs for shaving epidermal and dermal lesions. After the chart, there are important key points … [Read more...]

E/M for Dermatology | History, Exam, MDM

Accurately documenting and coding E/M services is critical to reducing compliance risk and maximizing revenue for the evaluation and management … [Read more...]

Coding for destruction of malignant lesions

The primary factors in selecting a code for destruction of malignant lesions are: Size of lesion (not defect) Location Method is not a … [Read more...]

Remote Physiologic Monitoring Treatment Management Services

2019 brought us three new CPT® codes and a revised existing code for remote monitoring and treatment. Here are the four active codes. Two of them have … [Read more...]

Virtual communication: HCPCS codes G2010 and G2012

Not considered telehealth These two HCPCS codes were developed by CMS for virtual communication Do not use POS 02 or modifier 95 on these … [Read more...]