CodingIntel

Medical coding resources for physicians and their staff. CodingIntel was founded by consultant and coding expert Betsy Nicoletti.

Wound Care | CPT® Codes for Debridement

  • Health care organizations have started wound care clinics to care for patients with non-healing wounds
  • 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 the wound clinic
  • Often, patients treated in wound clinic have underlying vascular or metabolic problems that hinder wound closure.

This article covers common CPT® codes for debridement, documentation guidelines and related issues.

Wound debridement codes

11042—11047 Use these codes when the only procedure performed in wound debridement.    Use these codes for any type of wound that requires debridement

11042 – Debridement, subcutaneous tissue (includes epidermis and dermis, if performed); first 20 sq cm or less

+11045 –  each additional 20 sq cm, or part thereof (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

11043 – Debridement, muscle and/or fascia (includes epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, If performed); first 20 sq cm or less

+11046 –  each additional 20 sq cm, or part thereof (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

11044 – Debridement, bone (includes epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissue, muscle and/or fascia, if performed); first 20 sq cm or less

+11047 –  each additional 20 sq cm, or part thereof (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

These codes are defined by depth and size, not anatomic site.

Documentation guidelines for CPT® codes 11042—11047

  • Do not report wound care codes in addition to debridement codes for the same wound
  • When a single wound has multiple depths, report one code based on deepest level
  • When multiple wounds have the same depth, add together total square centimeters and report one code
  • For multiple wounds of different depths, report the deepest first and report additional debridement codes with modifier 59
  • Code selecting is not based on anatomic location
  • There are also  codes for debridement that includes bone, but these are not in this guide for minor procedures.

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- Betsy Nicoletti
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Our mission is to provide accurate, comprehensive, up-to-date coding information, allowing medical practices to increase revenue, decrease coding denials and reduce compliance risk. That's what coding knowledge can do.

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. For more about Betsy visit www.betsynicoletti.com.