November 3, 2022

Question:
My physician performed two soft tissue tumor excisions in different areas on the scalp. They measured 1.0 cm and 1.5 cm. Can I bill for both? Also can I report a layered closure.

Answer:
You would report CPT 21011 (excision soft tissue tumor, scalp 2cm or less) for the first excision and 21011-59. Modifier 59 is used to indicate a completely separate procedure was performed using the same CPT code to avoid a claim denial for “duplicate charge. The repair is included in the global package for the excisions and not separately reported.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 11/03/22.