Adjacent Tissue Transfer

Question:

A few years ago I was at your plastic surgery coding workshop in Chicago – you were great, Kim! I remember discussing the adjacent tissue transfer or rearrangement codes and you said we need a size dimension to code for CPT 14040 or 14041 or any of the ATT codes. Do you have a specific guideline or a resource that I can find to support this? As always thank you so much for your guidance.

Answer:

Thank you for your kind words! Sure – just look in the CPT book in the Guidelines for the Adjacent Tissue Transfer or Rearrangement codes. The last paragraph defines the terms primary and secondary defects. The CPT codes themselves are defined by square centimeters – this is the total sq cm of each defect (primary and secondary). When you use a CPT code that has a dimension in the description, such as sq cm or linear cm, then that dimension must be documented to support the billed code. It is very important for you to document the primary defect dimension and secondary defect dimensions separately. These two dimensions are added together to “equal” the CPT code.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 06/24/21.

Breast Reduction with Liposuction

Question:

If I do both a breast reduction, 19318, and liposuction of the breast, 15877, do I bill both codes?

Answer:

No – the liposuction is not separately reported. This service is included in the breast reduction code assuming breast tissue is surgically removed to support 19318.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 06/10/21.

Denial of 15839 with 19342

Question:

My doctor performed 19342 (exchange of larger implant to smaller implant), 15771 (grafting of autologous fat) and 15839 (excision of excessive skin). We were denied for 15839 and I have sent a corrected claim with updated diagnosis codes for 15839 but the claim was again denied. Can you help please?

Answer:

CPT 15839 (Excision, excessive skin and subcutaneous tissue (includes lipectomy); other area) would never be separately reported for only excision of excess skin during a breast reconstruction or revision procedure. This service is included in whatever primary procedure code you’re billing.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 05/13/21.

Number of Units for ADM Code (+15777)

Question:

I use two ADMs on each breast during a tissue expander reconstruction. Can I bill +15777 x 4 units?

Answer:

No, you’ll use the code +15777 once for each breast

Question:

I’m confused on whether to bill +15777 twice (once on each side) or with modifier 50. Please advise.

Answer:

Good question and we completely understand the confusion. CPT says not to use modifier 50 – rather, you’ll report +15777 x 2 units for bilateral procedures. However, Medicare’s Medically Unlikely Edits allow only 1 unit of +15777 to be paid per day. Therefore, for Medicare (and payors who follow Medicare guidelines), you’ll report +15777 with modifier 50 for bilateral procedures.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 04/01/21.

Oncoplastic Reconstruction

Question:

I just realized CPT 19366 was deleted in 2021. Now what code do I use for an oncoplastic reconstruction?

Answer:

You’re right – CPT 19366 (Breast reconstruction with other technique) was deleted this year. You will code for whatever procedure you end up doing such as an adjacent tissue transfer (e.g., 14xxx), breast reduction (19318), or mastopexy (19316).

*This response is based on the best information available as of 03/18/21.

Coding 23395 for Pectoralis Muscle Repair

Question:

Someone told us to bill 23395 for repairing the pectoralis muscle after removing breast implants. Here’s the common scenario:

• Removal of old bilateral breast implants with capsulectomies
• Repair of pectoralis muscle with re-attachment to chest wall
• Creation of pre-pectoral pocket with acellular dermal matrix
• Placement of bilateral breast implants for reconstruction

What do you think of the recommendation to code 23395?

Answer:

Let’s look at the details. The CPT descriptor for 23395 says “Muscle transfer, any type, shoulder or upper arm; single”. First, are you doing a muscle transfer? No – your scenario says “re-attachment to chest wall” which is not a transfer. Second, are you operating on the shoulder or upper arm? No – your scenario says “breast” and “pectoralis muscle” and “chest wall” which is neither the shoulder or upper arm. Lastly, does your patient scenario look like the typical patient scenario described by CPT? “This is a 35-year-old patient with scapular disability and pain caused by scapular winging undergoes pectoralis major transfer.” No.

Your scenario says “repair” so we ask how the muscle got to a point where it needed to be repaired. The usual scenario is that the surgeon partially detached the muscle to place the implant. Therefore, we do not agree that “repair” of the pectoralis muscle by re-attaching to the chest wall, or putting the muscle back to its original place, would be separately reported. We believe this service is included in whatever code(s) you choose for the breast reconstruction procedure and separately reporting 23395 is not accurate. If there is additional significant work, then you could potentially append modifier 22 to your primary procedure code.

Stay tuned for major CPT code changes to the breast reconstruction codes starting 1/1/21….Kim Pollock will have an upcoming webinar about the changes.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 12/03/20.