2025 CPT code 11641
Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures on the Integumentary System Feed
Excision of a malignant lesion, including margins, on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, or lips, with an excised diameter of 0.6 to 1.0 cm.
Modifiers may be applicable.Modifier 58 is used for staged or related procedures during the postoperative period. Modifier 59 is used to distinguish procedures that are distinctly separate from other services performed on the same day. Modifier 76 indicates a repeat procedure by the same physician. Modifier 77 is appended to the code if the procedure is repeated by a different provider.
Medical necessity for this procedure is established by a confirmed diagnosis of a malignant skin lesion and the need for its complete excision.
In simple words: Removal of a small skin cancer (0.6 to 1.0 cm) on the face, ears, eyelids, nose, or lips. The procedure includes removing a small amount of healthy skin around the cancer to ensure it's completely gone.
The procedure involves excising a malignant skin lesion, including margins, from the face, ears, eyelids, nose, or lips. The excised diameter, which includes the lesion and the necessary margin for complete excision, is between 0.6 and 1.0 cm.The procedure includes local anesthesia and simple closure. For lesions requiring intermediate or complex closure, additional codes should be used.
Example 1: A patient presents with a basal cell carcinoma on the nose measuring 0.8 cm in diameter. The physician excises the lesion with a 0.1 cm margin on all sides, resulting in a total excised diameter of 1.0 cm. Code 11641 is reported., A patient has a squamous cell carcinoma on the eyelid measuring 0.7 cm. The physician removes the lesion along with a margin of healthy tissue, resulting in a 0.9 cm excised diameter. This procedure is reported with 11641., A melanoma on the lip measuring 0.6 cm is excised with appropriate margins, totaling 0.8 cm in excised diameter. Code 11641 is used to report the procedure. The lesion is sent for pathology to assess margins.
Documentation should include the location and size of the lesion, the diagnosis (type of skin cancer), the size of the margins taken, the method of closure, and any pathology reports.
- Specialties:Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Mohs Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery
- Place of Service:Office, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center