Biopsy Following Mohs Surgery

Question:

I have received conflicting information and would appreciate clarification. I had a patient referred to me by a family physician for a possible basal cell carcinoma. The patient has never had a biopsy. I did a punch biopsy and the diagnostic frozen section which confirmed a morpheaform basal cell carcinoma and performed a stage 2 Mohs procedure 17311 and 17312. Can I bill for the biopsy even when I did the Mohs surgery on the same date?

Answer:

The answer to your question is yes, you can bill the punch biopsy (11105-59) and the frozen section (88331-59) in addition to Mohs surgery. If a biopsy has not been performed within the last 60 days prior to Mohs surgery, you can report the biopsy and frozen section. Make sure you append Modifier 59 to the biopsy and frozen section to identify that the procedure was distinct and separate.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 3/13/25.