Extraction-Root Operation D
Extraction is defined as pulling or stripping out or off all or a portion of a body part by the use of force. Minor cutting, such as that used in vein stripping procedures, is included in extraction if the objective of the procedure is met by pulling or stripping.
As with all applicable ICD-10-PCS codes, cutting used to reach the procedure site is specified in the approach value. Extraction procedures that are biopsies may also be identified with the qualifier “diagnostic.”
Examples of extraction are dilation and curettage, vein stripping, suction dilation and curettage, phacoemulsification without intraocular lens implant, nonexcisional debridement of skin, extraction of teeth, bone marrow biopsy, endometrial biopsy, or liposuction for medical purposes.
Coding professionals should be careful of terminology when coding in ICD-10-PCS. Coding professionals should convert common terminology to the appropriate root operation according to the intent of the procedure based on its definition.
For example, the procedure documentation may say removal, but in actuality, using ICD-10-PCS definitions, an extraction was performed (e.g., removal of a thumbnail would be coded to extraction). The root operation of removal is not correct because by definition a removal in ICD-10-PCS is defined as taking out or off a device from a body part.