Karen Miller asked:
If a child presents to Emergency Room accompanied by parents. The patient has a large 1.5 cm splinter lodged on the sole of his foot superficially; after playing on a wooden floor in his bare feet at home. The physician prepares the area with betadine; and pulls the splinter out with tweezers without making an incision and they need a simple splinter removed from their foot; do you code:
a) An appropriate evaluation/ management code for emergency room services (99281-99285)
b) 28190 Removal of foreign body; foot; subcutaneous
c) both a & b
Answer:
Tiffany Baca wrote: If the removal of the foreign body does not require an incision then you would just use an E/M code. In this case; this is a simple splinter removal using tweezers without making an incision. However; if an incision was made; then you would use 28190.
If a child presents to Emergency Room accompanied by parents. The patient has a large 1.5 cm splinter lodged on the sole of his foot superficially; after playing on a wooden floor in his bare feet at home. The physician prepares the area with betadine; and pulls the splinter out with tweezers without making an incision and they need a simple splinter removed from their foot; do you code:
a) An appropriate evaluation/ management code for emergency room services (99281-99285)
b) 28190 Removal of foreign body; foot; subcutaneous
c) both a & b
Answer:
Tiffany Baca wrote: If the removal of the foreign body does not require an incision then you would just use an E/M code. In this case; this is a simple splinter removal using tweezers without making an incision. However; if an incision was made; then you would use 28190.
Last edited: