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Medical Billing Tips Consider Dermabond a Simple Closure

Medical Billing Tips Consider Dermabond a Simple Closure

Published by: Melissa Clark, CCS-P on September 3, 2005

Medical Billing Tips Consider Dermabond a Simple Closure

When filing your medical billing claims for laceration repairs. Most carriers recommend that you code Dermabond as a simple closure when preparing your medical billing forms.

If the wounds are located in the same anatomical area you should add these wound lengths together and only report one simple repair code on your medical billing form.

A good example of this is if a surgeon repairs a patient’s lacerations using Dermabond in three separate places on the left arm; in order to report the procedure performed correctly, you should choose the most accurate code from the 12001-12007 series (Simple repair of superficial wounds of scalp, neck, axillae, external genitalia, trunk and/or extremities [including hands and feet] …), and add the length of the three laceration repairs as one on the medical billing form.

Medicare however, sees it a little differently on your medical billing claims. Medicare prefers that the medical billing form report the G0168 (Wound closure utilizing tissue adhesive[s] only) for laceration closure with Dermabond only. So, skip using the 12001-12007 series when filing your medical billing claims for Medicare.

If you see a lot of laceration repair in your practice and you want to be sure this type of medical billing is always handled correctly, consider outsourcing your medical billing to a partner that knows the nuances of both carriers and Medicare. This will insure that you get all the reimbursements you deserve.

Miscoding and incorrect coding are big factors in getting you full reimbursements for your medical billing claims. As you can see, every medical billing claim is a judgment call based on the procedures performed and each case is individual. Your medical billing partner has the experience and expertise to know when to use what coding for each situation to get your practice the maximum reimbursables.

Published by: on September 3, 2005

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