Wart Destruction with Liquid Nitrogen

Question:

I saw an established patient who I see for evaluation of a wart on the arm. The wart is moderate in severity. I evaluated the wart, performed a skin exam and removed the wart with liquid nitrogen and told the patient to come back PRN. My coder tells me I can only report the wart destruction and not a visit code. Is that correct?

Answer:

It appears the focus of the visit is the removal of the wart (17110). Unless you have a significant separately identifiable E/M service, the E/M service would be inherent to the procedure. Keep in mind the procedure includes pre-service work which is the E/M service. Only the procedure should be reported in the situation you described.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 7/17/25.