Foreign body removal

[Debi]

Hi,

Can someone help please.

I have a situation where the back of an earring was embedded into the skin of a patients ear. The provider used a forceps to break the skin and remove the embedded back of the earring. There was minimal bleeding and ointment was put on the open wound for a protective barrier.

Okay my question. Is there a removal code that does not include an incision or would I just use a E&M code?

Code 10120 state Incision and removal of foreign body, subcutaneous tissue; simple.

 

[Luna]

Hi Debbi,
I was intrigued by your question and did some research.
I found similar questions regarding fish hooks, and splinters being removed where the doctor similarly used forceps to expand the existing wound and to remove the foreign body.

This reply was posted 3/25/2013 in one of aapc forums regarding the use of 10120 for this foreign body removal without an incision by the doctor:

For everyone's info - regarding 10120. Coding Clinic for HCPCS 3Q 2002, page 8 states that removal of foreign body without incision cannot be coded as 10120. It can only be captured by the appropriate e/m service code.

Maybe that helps...not sure.

I had wondered about the use of modifier 52 but then thought...Not....maybe in the case where a doctor performed an incision, dug for the FB, but produced nothing. He did the work, just didn't get the desired result. But, in your case, the doctor got the FB, but without actually performing the magic tricks involved in the scope of that code....But, that is just my thinking and probably is not the actual logic behind not using 10120.