December 28, 2025
Event date: January 22nd, 2026
Guest presenter Shannon McCall of HCPro
In the 2026 revisions to CPT® codes, there are revised guidelines for the section Coronary Therapeutic Services and Procedures. Six existing add-on codes that reported additional interventions in the coronary branches are deleted, and base codes are revised to include the branches of the same coronary artery within the descriptions of the codes themselves.
Recorded May 18, 2023
Guest Presenter Shannon McCall of HCPro joins us once again for a CPT® focused webinar on all things bronchoscopy! This webinar will describe coding for bronchoscopy, with and without biopsy, with ultrasound guidance, and with procedures. It includes coding by the number of lobes visualized for certain procedures. There are three case studies to illustrate the coding rules for these procedures.
CPT® revised the codes and concepts used for coding for hernia repair. These are significant changes for surgical procedures that are used very frequently. At the start of the repair codes, the AMA has new language that says “The hernia repair codes in this section are categorized primarily by the type of hernia (inguinal, femoral, […]
CPT® does not make it easy to locate codes for destruction of lesion(s). These codes are found in multiple chapters throughout the CPT® book, and are classified by a variety of factors (size, method of destruction, type (pre-malignant/malignant/benign), etc.) Accurate coding is essential to accurate payment. This tip sheet was created to help you quickly locate the correct CPT® code for lesion destruction.
“A colonoscopy is the examination of the entire colon, from the rectum to the cecum, and may include the examination of the terminal ileum or small intestine to an anastomosis.”[1] In 2015, CPT® revised some definitions related to colonoscopy and added a decision tree to help practices select the correct CPT® code and the correct […]
From biopsy to localization device to mastectomy, coding for breast procedures can be challenging. This article summarizes the rules related to these services. Fine needle aspiration of a breast mass, or aspiration of a cyst Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of a breast mass is reported with codes 10021—10012. CPT® developed new codes for FNA in 2019. […]
Laceration or wound repair codes are reported based on the type of repair (simple, intermediate, complex), the anatomic location, and the length The length of multiple lacerations of the same type and defined as the same anatomic location are summed and reported with a single CPT code. For multiple lacerations of either different types or […]
The primary factors in selecting a code for destruction of malignant lesions are: Size of lesion (not defect) Location Method is not a factor in code selection Per Principles of CPT® Coding: “The destruction of malignant lesions is reported with codes 17260—17286. Similar to the codes for excision of lesions, the correct code is chosen […]
Fine needle aspiration biopsy Material is aspirated with a fine needle and the cells are examined cytologically Core needle biopsy is performed with a larger bore needle to obtain a core sample Use code 10021 for FNA without imaging guidance, first lesion and 10004 for each additional lesions There are codes for FNA include imaging […]
Correctly selecting and reporting skin biopsies requires an understanding of CPT® codes for skin biopsies There are codes for excision of benign and malignant lesions, and codes for shave procedures. Those are coded based on the size of the excision and location There are specific biopsy codes in other chapters, for biopsy of ears, lips, […]
Some of you have read CodingIntel’s article on coding for screening colonoscopy. The questions we get about that article are almost all related to diagnosis coding. The CPT®/HCPCS coding and the modifiers don’t raise many questions but clinicians, coders, and patients frequently ask about correct diagnosis coding and sequencing of those codes. We recently posed […]
Many medical practices perform skin procedures. A patient may see a dermatologist, a family physician or a surgeon when the time comes to find out, “What’s this thing growing on my arm?” This article discusses excision of benign and malignant lesions. Shaves, biopsies, and destruction of lesions are covered in other articles. Per CPT, excision […]
Finding the right code for lesion destruction is not easy. The codes are distributed in the CPT® book in the integumentary, digestive, male genital system, female genital system, and eye and ocular systems. Some of the codes are selected by the method of destruction and some are not. Some of the codes are selected based […]
Health care organizations have started wound care clinics to care for patients with non-healing wounds and frequently use wound care debridement codes to report the services The care of a post-op wound is done by the surgeon in the global period, and is not separately paid, unless it is on-going and must be referred to […]
This chart is a quick reference for soft tissue excision. It includes anatomic location and size for subcutaneous and subfacial excisions.
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In 1988, CodingIntel.com founder Betsy Nicoletti started a Medical Services Organization for a rural hospital, supporting physician practice. She has been a self-employed consultant since 1998. She estimates that in the last 20 years her audience members number over 28,400 at in person events and webinars. She has had 2,500 meetings with clinical providers and reviewed over 43,000 medical notes. She knows what questions need answers and developed this resource to answer those questions.
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