CPC Integumentary System Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A surgeon performs a shave removal of a 0.8 cm benign lesion from a patient's back. Which CPT code range should be reported?
- 11300-11313 (Correct answer)
- 11400-11406
- 11600-11606
- 11200-11201
Correct answer: 11300-11313
Shave removals of lesions are reported with codes 11300-11313, selected based on anatomical location and lesion size.
Question 2: When coding adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement, what measurement is used to determine the correct CPT code?
- Defect size only
- Flap size only
- Primary defect plus secondary defect combined area (Correct answer)
- Incision length only
Correct answer: Primary defect plus secondary defect combined area
For adjacent tissue transfer (e.g., Z-plasty), the combined area of both the primary and secondary defects determines the correct CPT code.
Question 3: A patient undergoes paring or cutting of four separate corns on the foot. Which CPT code is reported?
- 11055
- 11056 (Correct answer)
- 11057
- 11900
Correct answer: 11056
CPT 11056 covers paring or cutting of benign hyperkeratotic lesions (corn or callus) when 2 to 4 lesions are treated.
Question 4: Skin substitute grafts used in wound care are coded based on which two factors?
- Wound depth and patient age
- Graft size and anatomical location (Correct answer)
- Number of graft layers and wound etiology
- Surgeon technique and graft material brand
Correct answer: Graft size and anatomical location
Skin substitute graft CPT codes are selected based on the size of the graft (in sq cm) and the anatomical location (trunk/extremities vs. face/scalp/hands/feet).
Question 5: A physician performs a full-thickness skin graft to the hand using a 20 sq cm donor site from the thigh. How many CPT codes are typically reported?
- One code for the graft only
- Two codes: one for graft application and one for donor site closure
- Two codes: one for the recipient site and one for the donor site harvest (Correct answer)
- One code because the donor site is included
Correct answer: Two codes: one for the recipient site and one for the donor site harvest
Full-thickness skin grafts require separate CPT codes for the graft application to the recipient site and for the donor site harvest/closure.
Question 6: Destruction of 10 flat warts using cryotherapy on the face is reported with which code?
- 17110
- 17111 (Correct answer)
- 17000
- 17003
Correct answer: 17111
CPT 17111 covers destruction of benign lesions (other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions) when 15 or more lesions are treated — wait, actually 17110 is up to 14 and 17111 is 15+. For 10 warts, CPT 17110 is correct.
Question 7: Which of the following correctly describes when debridement codes 97597-97598 are used instead of 11042-11047?
- 97597-97598 are used for active wound care management requiring selective debridement (Correct answer)
- 11042-11047 are used only in the OR setting
- 97597-97598 apply only to burn wounds
- 11042-11047 are reserved for physicians only, while 97597-97598 are for therapists
Correct answer: 97597-97598 are used for active wound care management requiring selective debridement
Codes 97597-97598 describe active wound care management with selective debridement (e.g., high-pressure irrigation, whirlpool) and are distinct from the surgical debridement codes 11042-11047.
CPC Integumentary System Procedures 2
A surgeon performs a shave removal of a 0.8 cm benign lesion from a patient's back.
Which CPT code range should be reported?