05/12/2022

Correct Billing for Nail Debridement and Cauterization

I have a patient and she had a thick nail with pain right hallux.She also had a pyogenic granuloma distally same toe which was cauterized with silver nitrate.Do I bill the nail debridement,the cauterization or both?

Both the nail debridement and the chemical cauterization can be billed on the same claim for reimbursement. With proper coding, both minor procedures should be reimbursed by the patient’s insurance- to be sure, in case one procedure is denied, have office notes on hand to show that the two services are not related so they can be reimbursed separately. When billing the claim to insurance, the chemical cauterization should be billed as the first procedure with the diagnosis of pyogenic granuloma. The nail debridement should be billed as the second procedure with the pain and nail conditions being treated with modifier -59 appended.