Tongue Lesion

Question:

My physician coded a glossectomy but the documentation in the operative report indicated that a tongue lesion was removed. He wants to code 41120 for the glossectomy. I don’t think this meets the definition of a Glossectomy since there was no mention in the operative report that a portion of the tongue was removed.

Answer:

Glossectomy codes require removal of a portion of the tongue, not just the lesion. If your physician is removing a lesion on the tongue, you should report CPT code(s) 41110-41114. When reporting a glossectomy, documentation must include what portion and how much of the tongue was removed. Also be sure to document tongue tissue removal and not just the lesion removal.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 2/13/25.