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Question: From a billing point of view, what is the difference between simple and complex drainage procedures? Also, if the physician curettes a lesion like a spider bite, how should I code it? Is it the same as an abscess even though the work is more intricate?
 
North Carolina Subscriber

Answer: Code 10060* (Incision and drainage of abscess [e.g., carbuncle, suppurative hidradenitis, cutaneous or subcutaneous abscess, cyst, furuncle, or paronychia]; simple or single) is a starred procedure limited to single, small collections of purulent material such as a paronychia, a small cyst, or pus collection around a hair follicle. Based on the examples in CPT, the infection would be limited to the superficial subcutaneous tissues and would be quite small.
 
On the other hand, 10061 (... complicated or multiple) a nonstarred procedure is for more than one small superficial abscess or a single larger and/or more complicated abscess. Such abscesses may require probing to break up loculations or packing. The process of curetting falls within the methods of abscess treatment in general, so you don't need to use a different code specifically for that approach. Because spider bites tend to be larger, more complicated lesions, they would likely fall under 10061. If you can't choose a code based on the physician's documentation, ask the physician who performed the curettage about the work involved in the procedure.