Billing and Coding: Removal of Benign Skin Lesions

Coding for removal of benign skin lesions must be based on the pre-excision greatest clinical diameter of the lesion plus required margin, with measurements documented. Shave removal codes (11300–11313) include tissue submission and should not be combined with separate biopsy codes; use tangential biopsy codes (11102–11103) when shave is solely for diagnosis, and report histopathology separately with CPT 88304–88305. All medical records must be legible, include patient identifiers and provider signature, and support the selected ICD-10-CM and CPT/HCPCS codes; refer to LCD L34938 for reasonable and necessary coverage details.

"Select the CPT code for lesion removal by measuring the greatest clinical diameter of the apparent lesion plus the margin required for complete excision, with measurement made prior to excision."

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