I am confused about the proper codes to be used for treatment of warts. If a patient comes in for an initial visit and I diagnose them with a wart and debride the wart and then apply salicylic acid under occlusion can I bill a new patient EM code and then 17110? When they return for follow-up am I allowed to bill 17110 again if I debride the lesion and apply salicylic acid once again? The definition of the code 17110 includes the term chemosurgery but I am not sure if salicylic acid is included as it is keratolytic. I have always billed EM codes but recently I was told that was incorrect.
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If documented correctly, the coding of a new patient E&M along with the CPT code 17110 is correct for the initial treatment of the patient. When the patient returns, if you are only debriding the lesion and applying salicylic acid on the wart, it is inappropriate to bill for an E&M code.
CPT 17110 is defined as the following: Destruction (eg, laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement), of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions; up to14 lesions.
In this case, I would consider the application of salicylic acid as destructive as the CPT code describes, not chemotherapy