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2018 CPC Practice Exam Answer Key 150 Questions With Full Rationale (HCPCS, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10, CPT Codes) Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

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Giant Cell Tumor Excision

My provider is excising a giant cell tumor from the finger/palm. He’s proposing CPT codes 26145, 26145-59 and 26075. I’m having a hard time with this one because I think the correct CPT code is either 26118 or 26160. I’m leaning more towards 26118 but I’m not 100% sure. Also, I’m not really seeing a synovectomy so I’m not sure if this is billable..and I believe the arthrotomy would be included in the excision code?

Thanks in advance.

The right middle finger was approached volarly with a Brunner incision. We went ahead and utilized the previous incision, which was oblique over the A1 pulley. This was extended proximally. We extended it distally across the MP joint, PIP joint, and then DIP joint. Incising the skin sharply, we elevated up radially and ulnarly full-thickness flaps. We identified the flexor tendon sheath, identified the radial and ulnar neurovascular bundles extending out to the middle finger. Exposing the flexor tendon sheath, there was clear recurrence of the giant cell tumor right at the site of the previous lesion. We then went ahead and fully developed the sheath distally. The tumor had recurred and basically tracked down the sheath and it popped up distal to the A2 pulley over the PIP joint and all the way out to the DIP joint past the A5 pulley. We created a window, excising the lesion at the A1 pulley level. We resected the remnants of the A1 pulley, which had obvious involvement of the giant cell tumor. There was a large component of giant cell tumor behind the superficialis tendon. There was actually tumor that appeared to be in the chiasm of the superficialis. Basically working between the pulley windows, we then went ahead and resected all the tumor that we could visualize out past A2. Just distal to A2, there was another lesion, kind of within the sheath itself. We pulled the superficialis and profundus out of the way and got the tumor there, and then working our way out distally, resected everything that we could while retaining the pulleys and the flexor tendons themselves. Once tumor had been excised all the way out to the DIP joint level, we, once again, inspected in and around the profundus and superficialis at every single level, making sure there were no remnants. Behind the A1 pulley over the volar aspect of the MP joint, it did appear that there was a lesion, which did extend through the volar capsule and possibly could have been the original lesion. We excised the small component of volar capsule and got into the MP joint volarly. There was no obvious lesion within the MP joint. The wounds were thoroughly irrigated. We then went ahead and closed the wounds using a 4-0 nylon in an interrupted fashion. We did place a small piece of Esmarch in proximally as a drain. A sterile dressing was applied.

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

I don’t want to live in a world where Ebola is sold out at the Giant Microbe store – and there’s no code for it

There is a super cute little toy shop in Coeur d’Alene, ID called Shenanigan’s Toy Emporium that sells vintage toys and other unique items.  When traveling there on business, we usually make a stop in to shop from their wall of amazing salt water taffy and check out their selection of toys that don’t come with a power button.  You know, the kind of toys we had prior to the Atari and Game Boy era!

Shenanigan’s also has a great display of giant microbes – small plush renderings of everything from the common cold to diarrhea.  I am still marveling at how they could create a plush toy out of liquid stool!  I’m sure it’s just the geeky coder in me (and my colleagues), but we decided to buy a few and put them out during our training sessions along with our baskets of Play Dough, pipe cleaners, and candy (we like to have FUN in our training sessions!).  Needless to say, they were a big hit with our clients and we noticed on one of the tags that there was a website where we could order more.  By now your interest is surely piqued, so be sure to check out the online Giant Microbes store.

You’re probably thinking what I’m thinking right about now, which is, wouldn’t these giant microbes make great white elephant gifts for Christmas?  My thoughts immediately went to what would be appropriate for my family’s white elephant gift exchange.  Don’t worry, my family has a great sense of humor – there’s still a copy of Pamela Anderson’s novel (yes, she wrote one) complete with the “naughty” pages clipped together courtesy of my grandmother who was sheltering her daughter from the filthy parts.  And what better gift for someone in 2014 than the Ebola virus?  There’s just one problem.

Sold out.

Apparently I am not the only person who thinks that Ebola would make a great Christmas gift.  It’s a sign of recent headlines that this virus, which is actually kind of cute in plush form, is unavailable.  What’s even more worrisome given that this was the year Ebola came to the US, is that we don’t have an ICD-9-CM code to report it.  Here’s the best we can do in ICD-9:

  • 065.8, Other specified arthropod-borne hemorrhagic fever
  • 078.89, Other specified diseases due to virus

What about ICD-10-CM?  How about this?

  • A98.4, Ebola virus disease

YESSSSSS!  Way more specific!

In previous years as we’ve prepped for ICD-10 implementation, the opponents have given a laundry list of extensive and admittedly ridiculous (yet fun!) ICD-10 codes that begged the question, why do we really need this?  And this year, Ebola was delivered to our health system and we have nonspecific codes to report it.  But in ICD-10, we have a very specific code.  Hmm.  Perhaps this ICD-10 thing really could help with reporting and impact patient care.  Just a thought.

So Santa, if I can’t have Ebola for Christmas this year, could I please have ICD-10 so that I can code it for those people who did get it?

Author’s Note: I am not affiliated with Shenanigan’s Toy Emporium or giantmicrobes.com in any way. I am just a really big fan!
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