September 2, 2021

Question:
Can we code separately for harvesting pericranial graft, such as temporalis fascia, when doing a craniotomy?

Answer:
CPT guidelines generally allow coding for harvest of graft material when it is obtained through a separate skin incision. In your scenario, the graft material is being obtained through the same surgical exposure and not via a separate skin incision. Therefore, we would not code for the graft harvest.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 9/2/21.