Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of skin, ICD code D48.5
The AAFP 2019 had the following pertinent Q&A
“CODING FOR REMOVAL OF SKIN LESIONS: BIOPSY OR NO?
Q: My patient had a lesion that was irritated by her waistband. I used a shave technique to remove the lesion and sent it to pathology for examination. Should I report this as a shave biopsy under the new CPT codes 11102-11103?
A: No. A biopsy is performed if you intend to remove a portion of a lesion distinctly for the purpose of obtaining a diagnostic examination of the tissue. If your intent is therapeutic removal, report codes 11300-11313 for shave excision. Codes 11102-11103 represent tangential biopsy (removal of a portion of the dermis by a sharp blade) of a first/single skin lesion and each additional lesion from which tissue is obtained by tangential biopsy. Note that removing skin tags by any method is reported with code 11200 for up to and including 15 lesions and code 11201 for each additional 10 lesions after that.”
12 Errors to Avoid in Coding Skin Procedures, AAFP.
Skin Care Encounter Form, from AAFP article.
References
Fam Pract Manag. 2019 Jan-Feb;26(1):30.
https://www.aafp.org/fpm/2013/0100/p11.html