A 76-year-old woman has noticed a growth along the left side of her neck that is increasing in size. Initially it looked like a mosquito bite, but has increased over the last three months to a dime size, approximately 1.8 cm. Her PCP believes it is a lipoma and sends her to surgery for assessment. It was removed in the office using local anesthesia. Which code is correct?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

21555 is correct for an excision of a subcutaneous lesion smaller than 3 cm of the neck.
Code 21550 is incorrect because this code is for a biopsy. Codes 21552 and 21556 are incorrect because of the size and type of tumor present.

A 76-Year-Old Woman Has Noticed a Growth Along the Left