Coding Intel

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

  • Try Risk Free
  • Login
  • About
  • Free Resources
    • Nicoletti Notes Blog
    • Everyday Coding Q&A
    • Can I Get Paid
  • Member Resources
    • Home
    • Articles
    • Webinars
    • Quick Coding Cheat Sheets
    • Billing Guides
  • Coding Education
    • Webinars
    • Courses
    • HCC Coding Guide
  • My Account

Coding for Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Mohs surgery is performed to remove complex or ill-defined skin cancer, and the procedure includes both the surgery and histopathologic examination. Both capacities are required in order to bill for these codes, and neither part may be delegated to another individual.

Let’s look at the specific guidelines for coding for Mohs Micrographic Surgery:

According to CPT,

“The Mohs surgeon removes the tumor tissue and maps and divides the tumor specimen into pieces, and each piece is embedded into an individual tissue block for histopathologic examination. Thus a tissue block in Mohs surgery is defined as an individual tissue piece embedded in a mounting medium for sectioning.”

Repair is not included in the coding. If an intermediate or more complex repair is needed and performed, a repair, flap or graft may be reported separately.

The codes for reporting Moh’s procedures have zero global days; if the Moh’s physician also performs the medically necessary repair, global days may apply to the repair codes.

If a biopsy has already been done, and the diagnosis is known, do not report a separate biopsy code.

However, if a biopsy is performed on the same day as Mohs surgery because there was no prior confirmation of the diagnosis, bill the skin biopsy that was performed (11102, 11104, 11106) and frozen section pathology code 88331.  Use modifier 59 to distinguish the biopsy from the definitive Mohs procedure. Modifier 59 is used on the biopsy code, because Mohs surgery has higher RVUs, and it is reported without a modifier.

Refer to the 2019 CPT Guideline changes related to this instruction.

Login to view the rest of this article


Don’t have a login? Learn more about membership 

Get Unlimited Access to CodingIntel’s Online Library

Are you a coder, biller, administrator,
office manager or physician?

Learn more about the benefits of
a CodingIntel membership

click here!

Back to Dermatology Roadmap


 

Print Friendly

Accurate at time of posting: January 15, 2019
by Betsy Nicoletti
Tagged With: minor procedures, surgery

Search by code or keyword

Download your FREE
Global Surgery Billing Guide!

Sign up to receive important coding news and updates from CodingIntel and receive this 20 page guide FREE.

* indicates required

Browse Content

  • Articles
  • Billing Guides
  • Everyday Coding Q&A
  • Videos
  • Can I Get Paid to
  • Blog
  • Webinars
  • Podcasts

Browse By Categories

Latest Intel

Coding for Hospitalist Services | Webinar

March 21, 2019 @ 12:00 pm (EST) CMS … Read More...

Screening for skin cancer

Dermatologists frequently see patients for skin … Read More...

Coding for breast procedures: biopsy, localization devices, and surgery

From biopsy to localization device to mastectomy, … Read More...

Chronic care management services (CCM), CPT 99491: new code in 2019

CPT has added 99491 to the section of chronic care … Read More...

Tags

CMS coding Compliance consults CPT CPT codes cpt rules critical care Dermatology coding diagnosis coding Documentation Guidelines E/M coding E/M services EHR EMR exam global surgery global surgical package HCC HCPCS HCPCS codes ICD-10 ICD-10-CM medical decision making Medicare Medicare rules minor procedures Modifier 25 modifier 57 modifiers Physician Billing physician coding preventive medicine preventive medicine services primary care prolonged services psychiatry risk adjusted coding RVUs screening surgery TCM teaching physician rules using time to select a code Wellness Visits
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

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.

no show

Copyright 2019, CodingIntel

Privacy Policy