A 10-year-old boy was running through his house and ran into a sliding glass door, breaking the glass and suffering severe lacerations on his trunk and arms and minor lacerations on his face and legs. The emergency department physician performed the simple closure of one 2 cm laceration on the boy's cheek and two 2.3 cm lacerations on the boy's left leg. The physician performed the simple closure of one 4 cm laceration on the right arm and the layered closure of two lacerations on the left arm, which were 1.5 and 3 cm, respectively. The physician treated the 5 cm laceration on the boy's chest, which required the removal of particulate glass and a single layer closure. What are the correct codes for the wound repair performed by the emergency department physician?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct codes for the wound repair performed by the emergency department physician are 12004, for the simple repair of the 4.6 cm and 4 cm lacerations of the left leg and right arm; 12011 for the simple repair of the 2 cm laceration of the cheek; and 12034 for the intermediate repair of the 4.5cm and 5cm lacerations of the left arm and chest. According to CPT guidelines, when multiple wounds are repaired, the coder must "add together the lengths of those in the same classification and from all anatomic sites that are grouped together into the same code descriptor." The repair of the chest laceration is an intermediate repair because it required the removal of particulate matter (glass).

A 10-Year-Old Boy Was Running Through His House and Ran