icd-10 code for mohs surgery

by Trevor Steuber 5 min read

Z48. 817 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.

What is the CPT code for Mohs surgery?

Mar 03, 2021 · So, in summary, you would code the actual Moh’s surgery, the removal of skin cancer, with the appropriate skin cancer diagnosis; and for the Moh’ reconstruction you would use a Z-code, my pick is Z42.8 as well as the appropriate code for personal history of skin cancer. Well, that’s a wrap for this episode of the Blooming Coders podcast.

What does Mohs as in Mohs surgery stand for?

Oct 01, 2015 · Article revised and published on 04/25/2019 to add the CPT and ICD-10 codes from the related LCD, L34961 Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS), in response to CMS Change Request 10901 and to clarify text regarding Mohs services. The following ICD-10 code has been added to ICD-10 Group 1 Codes: D04.5 in response to an inquiry.

How to Bill Mohs surgery?

Jan 01, 2018 · Reporting both Mohs Micrographic Surgery CPT ® codes 17311-17315 and Surgical Pathology CPT ® 88302-88309 or 88331-88332, on tissue used for margin evaluation during Mohs surgery is inappropriate and will indicate that true Mohs surgery was not done. Such claims for Mohs surgery (17311-17315) will be denied.

How many stitches will I have after Mohs surgery?

Nov 11, 2021 · 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.

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What is the CPT code for Mohs surgery?

CPT Code 17314 - Mohs micrographic technique, including removal of all gross tumor, surgical excision of tissue specimens, mapping, color coding of specimens, microscopic examination of specimens by the surgeon, and histopathologic preparation including routine stain(s) (e.g., hematoxylin and eosin, toluidine blue), of ...Oct 27, 2020

Is Mohs considered surgery?

Mohs surgery is a precise surgical technique used to treat skin cancer. During Mohs surgery, thin layers of cancer-containing skin are progressively removed and examined until only cancer-free tissue remains. Mohs surgery is also known as Mohs micrographic surgery.Aug 18, 2020

Is a simple repair included in Mohs?

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. Repair is not included in the coding.Nov 11, 2021

What is the difference between Mohs surgery and regular surgery?

The Mohs process examines 100 percent of the tissue margins under the microscope, whereas in standard surgical excision only 1 percent of the margins are examined microscopically. Mohs surgery also conserves the greatest amount of healthy tissue, giving you the smallest scar possible.

What qualifies for Mohs surgery?

Recurrent histologically aggressive and nodular basal cell cancers. Primary, histologically aggressive tumors ≥0.6 cm. Primary nodular tumors >2 cm. Prmary nodular tumors ≥1.1 cm in immunocompromised patients.

What do the letters Mohs stand for?

The acronym MOHS, micrographically oriented histographic surgery, has also been proposed, but it has not achieved widespread recognition.Jun 4, 2020

What is the CPT code 14060?

The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code 14060 as maintained by American Medical Association, is a medical procedural code under the range - Adjacent Tissue Transfer or Rearrangement Procedures on the Integumentary System.

When do you use modifier 58?

Modifier 58 is used for a “staged or related procedure or service by the same physician during the post-operative period.” Further, according to CMS.gov, modifier 58 indicates that the procedure was: Planned, either at the time of the first procedure or prospectively.Aug 17, 2017

What is procedure code 14061?

CPT® Code 14061 in section: Adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement, eyelids, nose, ears and/or lips.

Why is it called Mohs surgery?

Mohs Micrographic Surgery is named after its founder and originator, Frederic E. Mohs, MD (1910-2002). As a medical student from 1929 to 1934, Dr. Mohs conducted cancer research projects while working for his mentor and zoology professor, Michael Guyer.

How do you pronounce the word Mohs?

0:000:07Pronounce Medical Words ― Mohs Surgery - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMohs surgery Mohs surgery Mohs surgery.MoreMohs surgery Mohs surgery Mohs surgery.

Is Mohs surgery better than excision?

As mentioned earlier, Mohs is more reliable and boasts a higher cure rate (98%) than standard surgical excisions. Plus, Mohs is often the cheaper of the two surgeries. For these reasons, more and more patients are directed toward Mohs micrographic surgery to eliminate their basal or squamous cell carcinoma.

General Information

CPT codes, descriptions and other data only are copyright 2020 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/HHSARS apply.

Article Guidance

Refer to the Novitas Local Coverage Determination (LCD) L34961, Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS), for reasonable and necessary requirements and frequency limitations. The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT)/Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code (s) may be subject to National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits.

ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

It is the provider’s responsibility to select codes carried out to the highest level of specificity and selected from the ICD-10-CM code book appropriate to the year in which the service is rendered for the claim (s) submitted.

ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

All those not listed under the "ICD-10 Codes that Support Medical Necessity" section of this article.

Bill Type Codes

Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service. Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the article does not apply to that Bill Type.

Revenue Codes

Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination.

General Information

CPT codes, descriptions and other data only are copyright 2020 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/HHSARS apply.

CMS National Coverage Policy

Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, Section 1862 (a) (1) (A). This section allows coverage and payment for only those services that are considered to be medically reasonable and necessary.

Article Guidance

The following coding and billing guidance is to be used with its associated Local Coverage Determination.

ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

ICD-10-CM codes for lesions involving the trunk (excluding scrotum), upper limb including the shoulder and lower limb including the hip should only be used when the surgery is done for one of the indications specifically noted in this LCD.

Bill Type Codes

Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service. Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the article does not apply to that Bill Type.

Revenue Codes

Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination.

What is Mohs 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.

Is repair included in coding?

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 Mohs procedures have zero global days; if the Mohs physician also performs the medically necessary repair, global days may apply to the repair codes.

Who performs the Mohs procedure?

The provider performing Mohs procedures must be both surgeon as well as pathologist. Mohs technique requires that the same physician must be both the surgeon (who performs the excision of tissue) and the pathologist (who must immediately examine the excised specimen for determining when there are clear margins).

What stains are included in Mohs surgery?

“Routine” stains, such as toluidine blue or hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) are included in Mohs surgery, although if the physician must perform additional (atypical) stains, coding allows the reporting of the appropriate stain code.

What is the add on code for genitalia?

Head, neck, hands feet and genitalia, or other locations with surgery directly involving muscle, cartilage, bone, tendons, major nerves or vessels, use code 17311, add-ons 17312. Lesions of the trunk, arms and legs are coded with17313 and 17314 coded as add-on. Coders may also need to employ add-on code 17315.

Can Mohs surgery be coding?

For a dermatology billing team one of the biggest headaches can involve Mohs surgery coding. While there are only a few codes for these procedures, knowing when and how to use them as well as modifiers or add-ons requires more knowledge and expertise than simply thumbing through the code book.

Is a histopathologic exam included in the Mohs procedure?

Billing for histopathologic exams and biopsies. As a rule, histopathologic exams are included in the Mohs procedure, meaning that coders should not separately report applicable pathology codes (88302-88309). The one exception is when “no prior pathology confirmation of a diagnosis” existed previously per the CPT®.

What is Mohs 17311?

17311 – Mohs micrographic technique, including removal of all gross tumor, surgical excision of tissue specimens, mapping, color coding of specimens, microscopic examination of specimens by the surgeon, and histopathologic preparation including routine stain (s) (eg, hematoxylin and eosin, toluidine blue), head, neck, hands, feet, genitalia, or any location with surgery directly involving muscle, cartilage, bone, tendon, major nerves, or vessels; first stage, up to 5 tissue blocks – Average fee payment – $650 – $670

When is 59 modifier appropriate?

Modifier 59 is also appropriate when a separate skin lesion, other than the lesion for which MMS is performed, is biopsied on the same day that the MMS is performed.

When to report 59 modifier?

It is NOT appropriate to report the 59 modifier (distinct procedural service) when the biopsy and Mohs’ surgery is performed on the same lesion, in the same operative session, on the same date of service . The -59 modifier should be reported when a biopsy or excision of lesion is performed in situations other than stated above.

Does Medicare require a biopsy of the skin?

Medicare is aware that a biopsy of the skin lesion for which MMS is planned is necessary in order for the physician to determine the exact nature of the lesion (s) to be removed. Occasionally, that biopsy may need to be done on the same day that MMS is planned to be done.

Do you report modifier 59 on the same detail line as the Mohs surgical procedure?

Do not report modifier -59 on the same detail line as the Mohs surgical procedure. A Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) certification number is required on all claims submitted for Mohs surgery billed with any of the following CPT codes, 17311-17315.

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