SUPERSEDED LCD Reference Article Billing and Coding Article

Billing and Coding: Mohs Micrographic Surgery

A56515

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General Information

Source Article ID
N/A
Article ID
A56515
Original ICD-9 Article ID
Not Applicable
Article Title
Billing and Coding: Mohs Micrographic Surgery
Article Type
Billing and Coding
Original Effective Date
01/01/2018
Revision Effective Date
12/01/2019
Revision Ending Date
N/A
Retirement Date
N/A

CPT codes, descriptions, and other data only are copyright 2023 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/HHSARS apply.

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Current Dental Terminology © 2023 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.

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CMS National Coverage Policy

Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, Section 1862(a)(1)(A). This section allows coverage and payment for only those services that are considered to be medically reasonable and necessary.

Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, Section 1833(e). This section prohibits Medicare payment for any claim which lacks the necessary information to process the claim.

CMS Publications:

CMS Publication 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 30, Physician Services

CMS Publication 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 16, Section 120, Cosmetic Surgery

CMS Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12 Section 40-40.6, Surgeons and Global Surgery

CMS Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12, Section 60, Payment for Pathology Services

CMS Transmittal No. 434, Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Change Request #3458, January 14, 2005, Addition of CLIA Edits to Certain Health Care Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes for Mohs Surgery.

 

Article Guidance

Article Text

The following coding and billing guidance is to be used with its associated Local Coverage Determination.

As defined by the American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (American Medical Association, Chicago, IL), Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) is a technique for the removal of complex or ill-defined skin cancer with histologic examination of 100% of the surgical margins. It is a combination of surgical excision and surgical pathology that requires a single physician to act in 2 integrated but separate and distinct capacities: surgeon and pathologist. The Mohs surgeon removes the tumor tissue and maps and divides the tumor specimen into pieces, and each piece is embedded into an individual tissue block for histopathologic (hematoxylin-eosin or toluidine blue) examination. Thus, a tissue block in MMS is defined as an individual tissue piece embedded in a mounting medium for sectioning.

If a surgeon performs an excision using Mohs surgical techniques but does not personally provide the histologic evaluation of the specimen(s), the CPT® codes for MMS shall not be used. Instead standard excision codes should be chosen for such medically necessary services (e.g., 11600 – 11646).

Medicare is aware that a biopsy of the skin lesion for which Mohs surgery is planned may be necessary for the physician to determine the exact nature of the lesion(s) to be removed. Occasionally, that biopsy may need to be done on the same day that the Mohs surgery is planned. To allow separate payment for a nonroutine histochemical stain on frozen tissue during Mohs surgery, report 88314 with modifier 59.

If a prior biopsy of the site undergoing Mohs surgery has been previously performed within the last 60 days, the surgeon should make a reasonable effort to obtain those results rather than repeating the biopsy.

Reporting both Mohs Micrographic Surgery CPT® codes 17311-17315 and Surgical Pathology CPT® 88302-88309 or 88331-88332 on tissue used for margin evaluation during Mohs surgery is inappropriate and will indicate that true Mohs surgery was not done. Such claims for Mohs surgery (17311-17315) will be denied. There are occasional clinical situations in which tissue separate from the tissue examined during Mohs surgery is appropriately submitted for subsequent formalin fixed processing and histopathologic examination. The submitted tissue is not the same tissue that was processed during the Mohs surgery. It may constitute a tissue margin beyond that evaluated with Mohs surgery or it may involve a totally unrelated tissue specimen. In such situations both the Mohs surgery and the histopathology are subject to coverage. In such cases the clinical record must clearly show the reasoning for the histopathologic specimen and interpretation. To allow separate payment for a biopsy and pathology on a separate skin lesion, other than the lesion for which Mohs surgery is performed on the same day, the -59 modifier is appropriate.

If reporting the -59 modifier with a skin biopsy/pathology code on the same day the Mohs surgery was performed, the physician's documentation should clearly indicate:

  • That the biopsy was performed on a lesion other than the one on which Mohs surgery was performed;
  • If the biopsy is of the same lesion as the Mohs lesion, that a biopsy of that lesion had not been done within the previous 60 days; or
  • If there has been a recent (within 60 days) biopsy of the same lesion as the Mohs lesion, the results of that biopsy were unobtainable despite reasonable effort by the Mohs surgeon.

 Documentation requirements

The majority of simple skin cancers can be managed by simple excision or destruction techniques. The medical records should clearly show that Mohs surgery was chosen because of the complexity, size and/or location of the lesion and why other approaches are not medically necessary and reasonable. The operative notes and pathology documentation in the patient's medical record must clearly show that Mohs micrographic surgery was performed using accepted Mohs technique, with the same physician performing both the surgical and pathology services. The notes should also contain the location, number and size of the lesion(s), the number of stages performed, and the number of specimens per stage.

Documentation must be available to Medicare contractors upon request.

The Mohs surgeon must describe the histology of the specimens taken in the first stage. That description should include depth of invasion, pathological pattern, cell morphology, and, if present, perineural invasion or presence of scar tissue. For subsequent stages, you may note that the pattern and morphology of the tumor (if still seen) is as described for the first stage; or, if differences are found, note the changes. There is no need to repeat the detailed description documented for the first stage, presuming that the description would fit the tumor found on subsequent stages.

The patient's medical record must contain documentation that fully supports the medical necessity for services included within this LCD in accordance with this LCD. This documentation should include, but is not limited to, relevant medical history, physical examination, and results of pertinent diagnostic tests or procedures including biopsy reports along with the procedural note.

Sources:

American Medical Association. Mohs Micrographic Surgery. CPT Assistant 2006;16:1-7

 

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Coding Information

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Revenue Codes

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CPT/HCPCS Codes

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CPT/HCPCS Modifiers

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ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

Group 1

(146 Codes)
Group 1 Paragraph

ICD-10-CM codes for lesions involving the trunk (excluding scrotum), upper limb including the shoulder and lower limb including the hip should only be used when the surgery is done for one of the indications specifically noted in this LCD.

Group 1 Codes
Code Description
C00.0 Malignant neoplasm of external upper lip
C00.1 Malignant neoplasm of external lower lip
C00.2 Malignant neoplasm of external lip, unspecified
C00.3 Malignant neoplasm of upper lip, inner aspect
C00.4 Malignant neoplasm of lower lip, inner aspect
C00.5 Malignant neoplasm of lip, unspecified, inner aspect
C00.6 Malignant neoplasm of commissure of lip, unspecified
C00.8 Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of lip
C00.9 Malignant neoplasm of lip, unspecified
C43.0 Malignant melanoma of lip
C43.10 Malignant melanoma of unspecified eyelid, including canthus
C43.111 Malignant melanoma of right upper eyelid, including canthus
C43.112 Malignant melanoma of right lower eyelid, including canthus
C43.121 Malignant melanoma of left upper eyelid, including canthus
C43.122 Malignant melanoma of left lower eyelid, including canthus
C43.21 Malignant melanoma of right ear and external auricular canal
C43.22 Malignant melanoma of left ear and external auricular canal
C43.30 Malignant melanoma of unspecified part of face
C43.31 Malignant melanoma of nose
C43.39 Malignant melanoma of other parts of face
C43.4 Malignant melanoma of scalp and neck
C43.60 Malignant melanoma of unspecified upper limb, including shoulder
C43.61 Malignant melanoma of right upper limb, including shoulder
C43.62 Malignant melanoma of left upper limb, including shoulder
C43.70 Malignant melanoma of unspecified lower limb, including hip
C43.71 Malignant melanoma of right lower limb, including hip
C43.72 Malignant melanoma of left lower limb, including hip
C43.8 Malignant melanoma of overlapping sites of skin
C4A.0 Merkel cell carcinoma of lip
C4A.111 Merkel cell carcinoma of right upper eyelid, including canthus
C4A.112 Merkel cell carcinoma of right lower eyelid, including canthus
C4A.121 Merkel cell carcinoma of left upper eyelid, including canthus
C4A.122 Merkel cell carcinoma of left lower eyelid, including canthus
C4A.21 Merkel cell carcinoma of right ear and external auricular canal
C4A.22 Merkel cell carcinoma of left ear and external auricular canal
C4A.31 Merkel cell carcinoma of nose
C4A.39 Merkel cell carcinoma of other parts of face
C4A.4 Merkel cell carcinoma of scalp and neck
C4A.61 Merkel cell carcinoma of right upper limb, including shoulder
C4A.62 Merkel cell carcinoma of left upper limb, including shoulder
C4A.71 Merkel cell carcinoma of right lower limb, including hip
C4A.72 Merkel cell carcinoma of left lower limb, including hip
C4A.8 Merkel cell carcinoma of overlapping sites
C44.01 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of lip
C44.02 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of lip
C44.09 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of lip
C44.1121 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right upper eyelid, including canthus
C44.1122 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right lower eyelid, including canthus
C44.1191 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of left upper eyelid, including canthus
C44.1192 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of left lower eyelid, including canthus
C44.1221 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of right upper eyelid, including canthus
C44.1222 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of right lower eyelid, including canthus
C44.1291 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of left upper eyelid, including canthus
C44.1292 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of left lower eyelid, including canthus
C44.1921 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of right upper eyelid, including canthus
C44.1922 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of right lower eyelid, including canthus
C44.1991 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of left upper eyelid, including canthus
C44.1992 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of left lower eyelid, including canthus
C44.212 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right ear and external auricular canal
C44.219 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of left ear and external auricular canal
C44.222 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of right ear and external auricular canal
C44.229 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of left ear and external auricular canal
C44.292 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of right ear and external auricular canal
C44.299 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of left ear and external auricular canal
C44.311 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of nose
C44.319 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of other parts of face
C44.321 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of nose
C44.329 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of other parts of face
C44.391 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of nose
C44.399 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of other parts of face
C44.41 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of scalp and neck
C44.42 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of scalp and neck
C44.49 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of scalp and neck
C44.510 Basal cell carcinoma of anal skin
C44.511 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of breast
C44.519 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of other part of trunk
C44.520 Squamous cell carcinoma of anal skin
C44.521 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of breast
C44.529 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of other part of trunk
C44.590 Other specified malignant neoplasm of anal skin
C44.591 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of breast
C44.599 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of other part of trunk
C44.612 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right upper limb, including shoulder
C44.619 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of left upper limb, including shoulder
C44.622 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of right upper limb, including shoulder
C44.629 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of left upper limb, including shoulder
C44.692 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of right upper limb, including shoulder
C44.699 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of left upper limb, including shoulder
C44.712 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of right lower limb, including hip
C44.719 Basal cell carcinoma of skin of left lower limb, including hip
C44.722 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of right lower limb, including hip
C44.729 Squamous cell carcinoma of skin of left lower limb, including hip
C44.792 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of right lower limb, including hip
C44.799 Other specified malignant neoplasm of skin of left lower limb, including hip
C44.81 Basal cell carcinoma of overlapping sites of skin
C44.82 Squamous cell carcinoma of overlapping sites of skin
C44.89 Other specified malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of skin
C49.0 Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of head, face and neck
C51.0 Malignant neoplasm of labium majus
C51.1 Malignant neoplasm of labium minus
C51.2 Malignant neoplasm of clitoris
C51.8 Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of vulva
C51.9 Malignant neoplasm of vulva, unspecified
C57.7 Malignant neoplasm of other specified female genital organs
C57.8 Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of female genital organs
C60.0 Malignant neoplasm of prepuce
C60.1 Malignant neoplasm of glans penis
C60.2 Malignant neoplasm of body of penis
C60.8 Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of penis
C60.9 Malignant neoplasm of penis, unspecified
C63.2 Malignant neoplasm of scrotum
C63.7 Malignant neoplasm of other specified male genital organs
C63.8 Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of male genital organs
D03.0 Melanoma in situ of lip
D03.10 Melanoma in situ of unspecified eyelid, including canthus
D03.111 Melanoma in situ of right upper eyelid, including canthus
D03.112 Melanoma in situ of right lower eyelid, including canthus
D03.121 Melanoma in situ of left upper eyelid, including canthus
D03.122 Melanoma in situ of left lower eyelid, including canthus
D03.21 Melanoma in situ of right ear and external auricular canal
D03.22 Melanoma in situ of left ear and external auricular canal
D03.30 Melanoma in situ of unspecified part of face
D03.39 Melanoma in situ of other parts of face
D03.4 Melanoma in situ of scalp and neck
D03.60 Melanoma in situ of unspecified upper limb, including shoulder
D03.61 Melanoma in situ of right upper limb, including shoulder
D03.62 Melanoma in situ of left upper limb, including shoulder
D03.70 Melanoma in situ of unspecified lower limb, including hip
D03.71 Melanoma in situ of right lower limb, including hip
D03.72 Melanoma in situ of left lower limb, including hip
D03.8 Melanoma in situ of other sites
D04.0 Carcinoma in situ of skin of lip
D04.111 Carcinoma in situ of skin of right upper eyelid, including canthus
D04.112 Carcinoma in situ of skin of right lower eyelid, including canthus
D04.121 Carcinoma in situ of skin of left upper eyelid, including canthus
D04.122 Carcinoma in situ of skin of left lower eyelid, including canthus
D04.21 Carcinoma in situ of skin of right ear and external auricular canal
D04.22 Carcinoma in situ of skin of left ear and external auricular canal
D04.39 Carcinoma in situ of skin of other parts of face
D04.4 Carcinoma in situ of skin of scalp and neck
D04.61 Carcinoma in situ of skin of right upper limb, including shoulder
D04.62 Carcinoma in situ of skin of left upper limb, including shoulder
D04.71 Carcinoma in situ of skin of right lower limb, including hip
D04.72 Carcinoma in situ of skin of left lower limb, including hip
D04.8 Carcinoma in situ of skin of other sites
D07.4 Carcinoma in situ of penis
Group 1 Medical Necessity ICD-10-CM Codes Asterisk Explanation

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ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

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ICD-10-PCS Codes

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Additional ICD-10 Information

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Bill Type Codes

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Revenue Codes

Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination. Complete absence of all Revenue Codes indicates that coverage is not influenced by Revenue Code and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all Revenue Codes.

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Other Coding Information

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Coding Table Information

Excluded CPT/HCPCS Codes - Table Format
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Revision History Information

Revision History Date Revision History Number Revision History Explanation
12/01/2019 R2

12/01/2019: Article converted to a Billing and Coding article type.

01/01/2018 R1

5/15/19 Article updated to remove CPT codes 88341-88342 and 88344 from the article text Group 1 CPT/HCPCS Codes and Keywords.

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Associated Documents

Medicare BPM Ch 15.50.2 SAD Determinations
Medicare BPM Ch 15.50.2
Related Local Coverage Documents
LCDs
L35704 - Mohs Micrographic Surgery
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