Surgical Coders: Don’t Overstate Debridement
Tip: This encounter involves topical applications and patient care instruction in addition to removing devitalized tissue.
Question: When the surgeon performs a wound VAC or cleans a wound by scraping with a sharp curette (not excising tissue), is it appropriate to use a debridement code or should we report an active wound care management code from the range 97597-97606?
Ohio Subscriber
Answer: Physicians typically use the debridement codes (11000-11001, Debridement of extensive eczematous or infected skin; … or 11004-11005, Debridement of skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle and fascia for necrotizing soft tissue infection; …) for debridement by any method.
Without...
Categories: 11000, 11001, 11004, 11005, 11040, 11044, 97597, 97605, 97606, CPT, Coding Challenge, Debridement, Soft Tissue, VAC, infection, skin, surgery, surgical, vacuum, wound Tags: coders, Curette, Drainage, fascia, Interventions, Management Code, Management Series, Ongoing Care, patient care, Soft Tissue Infection, Subcutaneous Tissue, Surgical Debridement, Therapeutic Service, Topical Application, Topical Applications, Vacuum Assisted Closure, Wound Care Management, Wound Debridement, Wound Therapy, Wound Vac