Tumor Tips

Tumor Tip 3-10-23 APPENDIX M: Case Studies for Coding Melanoma

03-10-2023 APPENDIX M: Case Studies for Coding Melanoma in STORE v23

Scenario:

  • 01-01-2023 shave biopsy left thigh + melanoma in situ [done at my facility]
  • 01-01-2023 Path: malignant melanoma, 0.5mm, margins negative
  • 02-15-2023 wide excision left thigh 1cm margin around previous biopsy scar [done at outside facility]
  • 2-15-2023 Path reports no residual melanoma in situ, margins clear

Question: How will these procedures be coded?

Answer

FieldCodeRationale
Surgical Diagnostic and Staging Procedure00No core bx done [One significant change to the coding rules for cases diagnosed 2023 and after is that shave, punch, or elliptical biopsies are coded as surgical procedure regardless of margin status.]
Date of Surgical Diagnostic and Staging Procedure [Blank
Date of First Surgical Procedure01/01/2023Date of shave biopsy
Date of Most Definitive Surgical Resection of Primary Site02-15-2023Date of the Wide Local Excision
RX Hosp Surg-2023B220Shave biopsy, NOS performed at reporting facility
RX Summ Surg-2023B520Shave Biopsy followed by wide excision performed at an outside facility
SSDI Clinical Margin Width1.0from WLE procedure note

Rationale:

Blog

Tumor Tip

Tumor Tip of the Week 05-09-2025 Coding Primary Site-Test Your Knowledge-Utilize Your Resources

Blog

Tumor Tip

Tumor Tip of the Week 04-25-2025 Revised Instructions for Sentinel Lymph Nodes Positive for 2025

Blog

Tumor Tip

Tumor Tip of the Week-04-18-2025 Lung-Low Cervical Nodes Distant or Reg-depends on the field

Contact Us

Contact us today to learn how our technology-led, clinically enabled solutions can help your organization thrive.