Question

1. How to code for repairs, including guidelines for coding of decontamination and debridement and also simple ligation of nerves and exploration of severed structures

Answer 1

Debridement: means surgical removal of foreign particle and dead tissue from a wound area in order to protect from infection and promote healing.

• CPT ( current procedural terminology ): It is a coding technology, and includes guidelines for assigning debridement as a different ( separate ) procedure, many coders think that this technique is appropriate or not. In the current procedural terminology, debridement may be expressed separately when one of the following occurs: a) prolonged cleansing and measurable amounts of devitalized tissue are eliminate or debridement is carried out without immediate primary closure.
• In 1997 CPT code standard involves the three codes for debridement and these codes are mentioned below:
• 11010 - 11012

• CPT Procedure codes:

• 11010 debridement including deletion of foreign material affiliated with open fracture or disruption; skin and subcutaneous tissues.
• 11011 muscle, skin
• 11012 subcutaneous tissues, skin, bone and muscle

• When irrigation and debridement procedures are performed then these codes are primarily used on open fracture, nerve injuries and closed fractures.Wound repair include repair of multiple layers of skin, bone, subcutaneous tissues extra. Debridement is performed for both open and closed wounds to ensure an adequate repair of the wounds.
• If the patient has some pain at the site of earlier surgery then the second surgery is an attempt to cure the pain. In the scenario, it is said that the correct coding is 64772 and it is used for transection of other spinal nerve.
• If two lacerations were made to delete the two nerves and the incision made does not enter deep into the body cavity, so both the incision and ligation can not claimed by physicians.

Debridement: means surgical removal of foreign particle and dead tissue from a wound area in order to protect from infection and promote healing.

• CPT ( current procedural terminology ): It is a coding technology, and includes guidelines for assigning debridement as a different ( separate ) procedure, many coders think that this technique is appropriate or not. In the current procedural terminology, debridement may be expressed separately when one of the following occurs: a) prolonged cleansing and measurable amounts of devitalized tissue are eliminate or debridement is carried out without immediate primary closure.
• In 1997 CPT code standard involves the three codes for debridement and these codes are mentioned below:
• 11010 - 11012

• CPT Procedure codes:

• 11010 debridement including deletion of foreign material affiliated with open fracture or disruption; skin and subcutaneous tissues.
• 11011 muscle, skin
• 11012 subcutaneous tissues, skin, bone and muscle

• When irrigation and debridement procedures are performed then these codes are primarily used on open fracture, nerve injuries and closed fractures.Wound repair include repair of multiple layers of skin, bone, subcutaneous tissues extra. Debridement is performed for both open and closed wounds to ensure an adequate repair of the wounds.
• If the patient has some pain at the site of earlier surgery then the second surgery is an attempt to cure the pain. In the scenario, it is said that the correct coding is 64772 and it is used for transection of other spinal nerve.
• If two lacerations were made to delete the two nerves and the incision made does not enter deep into the body cavity, so both the incision and ligation can not claimed by physicians.