12044 Intermediate repair Medicare reimbursement rates in Indiana

This code represents intermediate repair of wounds on the neck, hands, feet, or external genitalia, with a total repaired length of 7.6–12.5 cm. The repair involves layered closure of deeper tissue, or closure of a heavily contaminated wound that requires extensive cleaning. It is typically performed by a physician or other qualified practitioner in an office, emergency department, or surgical setting. The code is selected by the wound’s anatomic group, repair complexity, and measured length—not by the cause of the wound alone.

Document the wound location, length, depth or contamination, cleaning performed, and closure technique to support intermediate complexity and the selected length range. When multiple wounds in this same anatomic group receive the same type of repair, use their combined length for code selection. Medicare assigns a 10-day global period, including related postoperative visits during that period. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard multiple-procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate; assistant-at-surgery payment is restricted, and co-surgeon and team-surgery billing are not permitted.