Lipoma Removal

Question:

I removed a huge lipoma from a patient and it seems like the benign skin lesion removal codes just don’t describe what I’m doing. Is there another code I can use?

Answer:

Yes! The “soft tissue tumor” codes were introduced into CPT in 2010 and better describe the procedure you are performing. These codes are located in the Musculoskeletal System section of CPT (e.g., 21555, 21556) rather than in the Integumentary System section of CPT (114xx for excision of benign skin lesions, 116xx for excision of malignant skin lesions).

*This response is based on the best information available as of 07/30/15.