03/11/2021

Correct Coding for E&M and Treatment of Wart

WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY TO CODE AN OFFICE VISIT FOR TREATMENT OF A WART? . EACH VISIT CONSISTS OF DEBRIDEMENT OF THE WART WITH A SCALPEL AND THEN APPLICATION OF CANTHARONE TO THE LESION. THIS IS DONE WEEKLY FOR SEVERAL WEEKS UNTIL THE LESION IS RESOLVED.

For the destruction of a single wart, CPT code 17110 should be billed (Destruction (e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement), of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular lesions; up to 14 lesions). For the diagnosis code, one of the following codes should be billed based on the clinical indications of the lesion:

• B07.0 (Plantar wart)
• B07.8 (Other viral warts)
• B07.9 (Viral wart, unspecified)

It is strongly discouraged to bill an office visit in addition to the lesion removal unless the patient is being seen for a chief complaint unrelated to the lesion removal. If an office visit is billed with the same diagnosis, an insurance is very likely to bundle the E&M code, which cannot be billed to the patient.