Biopsy on the Same Date as Mohs

Question:

A patient came in for Mohs surgery, but there was no pathology report, so I had to do a biopsy before Mohs surgery.  Can I report the biopsy on the same date as the Mohs surgery?

Answer:

It is standard practice that a confirmed pathology report is available before Mohs surgery. You can bill a biopsy code on the same date as Mohs under the following conditions: 

• There is no previous biopsy on the same lesion within 60 days. 

• No pathology report available. 

• When biopsy and Mohs procedure are on separate sites. 

Ensure that a pathology report that does not exist or cannot be located is well documented.  In addition, You would report a biopsy code 11102, 11104, or 11106, depending on the biopsy method, plus 88331 for the frozen section pathology. Modifier 59 needs to be appended to each code to indicate that the biopsy was distinct and separate.   

*This response is based on the best information available as of 3/14/24.