Debridement Codes

“Can one appropriately bill a debridement code, such as CPT 11042, each time when applying a skin substitute if indicated in a hospital, outpatient wound care clinic?”

“My practice involves a lot of wound care and I frequently take patients to the operating room for a debridement involving a wound and bone with osteomyelitis. I always code this type of procedure as CPT 11043 and CPT 11044. I feel that this is justified because I am debriding the soft tissue structures (CPT 11043) but also the bone (CPT 11044). I was discussing this with a colleague and she suggested that this might not be appropriate.”