Understanding Diagnosis Code for Lesions in the 10000 Series

Understanding Diagnosis Code for Lesions in the 10000 Series https://www.cco.us/medical-coding-cou...

Q: [Lesion 10,000 Series] - I get confused when it comes to report per lesion and report number of lesions in the 10,000 series. Please help!

A: OK. What I did was I just put together some information, went and found a couple of good resources which are documented here as well. What’s the difference? What do you need to know for lesions that are important and what constitutes how you code them per lesion or doing multiple? A point to remember is, when reporting the removal of a benign lesion (and that’s another thing they’re going to ask you, benign or malignant?) they’re going to have two separate sections in the CPT manuals.

Do I need one code or two? You’re going to ask yourself that, when you’re getting ready. Is it the same type of lesion? If you have more than one, are they the same type? Then, treating; you’re going to be treating, removal, destroying. It actually doesn’t matter when you’re doing those. The coding and the billing is the same. But what is important is, is it 14 or less or 15 or more? That’s critical, that’s what they want to know when you’re going to do those codes.

I gave an example of a couple that I had found, 17110, destruction and they’re telling you destruction includes (that’s what the e.g. stands for) laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement – it doesn’t matter how you’re removing it. That’s not what they care about. All of these are going to be the same – of a benign lesion other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions. That’s off to a side, different kind. It says, up to 14 lesions.

The second code, 17111, same thing, destruction – anyway, they don’t care – of benign lesions other than (the same) skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesion. The only difference is 15 or more lesions.

Predominantly, what are we going to do? We’re probably using the 110 most of the time, but not always, because it depends on what type of lesions they’re removing. That’s the key. Everything else is, is it a benign or malignant and how many is involved?

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