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The CPT® Code 15853 refers to the procedure of removing sutures or staples from a patient without the need for anesthesia. This procedure is typically performed when the sutures or staples, which were previously placed during a surgical or traumatic wound closure, have served their purpose and the wound has sufficiently healed. Unlike the removal of sutures or staples that requires anesthesia, which is addressed under CPT® Code 15851, the removal under Code 15853 is a straightforward process that can be conducted in a clinical setting without the need for pain management interventions. This code is specifically designated for instances where the removal does not necessitate any form of sedation or anesthesia, making it a less complex and more accessible procedure. It is important to note that this code should be reported separately in addition to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) code, reflecting the additional service provided to the patient during their visit. The procedure is essential for ensuring that the healing process is not hindered by retained sutures or staples, which can lead to complications if left in place for too long.
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The procedure associated with CPT® Code 15853 is indicated for the removal of sutures or staples that have been previously placed during surgical or traumatic wound closures. The following conditions may warrant this procedure:
The procedure for the removal of sutures or staples not requiring anesthesia involves several key steps, which are outlined below:
Post-procedure care following the removal of sutures or staples typically involves monitoring the wound for any signs of infection or complications. Patients are advised to keep the area clean and dry and to follow any specific instructions provided by the healthcare provider. It is important for patients to report any unusual symptoms, such as increased redness, swelling, or discharge from the wound site. Recovery is generally quick, as the procedure is minimally invasive and does not involve anesthesia, allowing patients to resume normal activities shortly after the removal.
| Short Descr | REMOVAL SUTR/STAPL XREQ ANES | Medium Descr | REMOVAL SUTURES/STAPLES NOT REQUIRING ANESTHESIA | Long Descr | Removal of sutures or staples not requiring anesthesia (List separately in addition to E/M code) | Status Code | Active Code | Global Days | ZZZ - Code Related to Another Service | PC/TC Indicator (26, TC) | 5 - Incident To Code | Multiple Procedures (51) | 0 - No payment adjustment rules for multiple procedures apply. | Bilateral Surgery (50) | 0 - 150% payment adjustment for bilateral procedures does NOT apply. | Physician Supervisions | 09 - Concept does not apply. | Assistant Surgeon (80, 82) | 1 - Statutory payment restriction for assistants at surgery applies to this procedure... | Co-Surgeons (62) | 0 - Co-surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Team Surgery (66) | 0 - Team surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Diagnostic Imaging Family | 99 - Concept Does Not Apply | APC Status Indicator | Items and Services Packaged into APC Rates | Type of Service (TOS) | 2 - Surgery | Berenson-Eggers TOS (BETOS) | none | MUE | 1 |
This is an add-on code that must be used in conjunction with one of these primary codes.
| 99202 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 15 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99203 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 30 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99204 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 45 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99205 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 60 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99211 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) Telemedicine Service (AMA) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional | 99212 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 10 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99213 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 20 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99214 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 30 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99215 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 40 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99281 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC J2 Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient that may not require the presence of a physician or other qualified health care professional | 99282 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC J2 Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making | 99283 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC J2 Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making | 99284 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC J2 Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision making | 99285 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC J2 Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making | 99341 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 15 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99342 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 30 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99344 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 60 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99345 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 75 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99347 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 20 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99348 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and low level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 30 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99349 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and moderate level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 40 minutes must be met or exceeded. | 99350 | Telehealth Service (Medicare) MPFS Status: Active Code APC B Physician Quality Reporting PUB 100 CPT Assistant Article Home or residence visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and high level of medical decision making. When using total time on the date of the encounter for code selection, 60 minutes must be met or exceeded. | G0463 | Medicare Coverage: Carrier Priced MPFS Status: Statutory exclusion (from MPFS, may be paid under other methodologies) APC J2 Hospital outpatient clinic visit for assessment and management of a patient |
| X4 | Episodic/focused services: for reporting services by clinicians who provide focused care on particular types of treatment limited to a defined period and circumstance; the patient has a problem, acute or chronic, that will be treated with surgery, radiation, or some other type of generally time-limited intervention; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the orthopedic surgeon performing a knee replacement and seeing the patient through the postoperative period | 51 | Multiple procedures: when multiple procedures, other than e/m services, physical medicine and rehabilitation services or provision of supplies (eg, vaccines), are performed at the same session by the same individual, the primary procedure or service may be reported as listed. the additional procedure(s) or service(s) may be identified by appending modifier 51 to the additional procedure or service code(s). note: this modifier should not be appended to designated "add-on" codes (see appendix d). | 59 | Distinct procedural service: under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was distinct or independent from other non-e/m services performed on the same day. modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services, other than e/m services, that are not normally reported together, but are appropriate under the circumstances. documentation must support a different session, different procedure or surgery, different site or organ system, separate incision/excision, separate lesion, or separate injury (or area of injury in extensive injuries) not ordinarily encountered or performed on the same day by the same individual. however, when another already established modifier is appropriate it should be used rather than modifier 59. only if no more descriptive modifier is available, and the use of modifier 59 best explains the circumstances, should modifier 59 be used. note: modifier 59 should not be appended to an e/m service. to report a separate and distinct e/m service with a non-e/m service performed on the same date, see modifier 25. | AQ | Physician providing a service in an unlisted health professional shortage area (hpsa) | 78 | Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician or other qualified health care professional following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period: it may be necessary to indicate that another procedure was performed during the postoperative period of the initial procedure (unplanned procedure following initial procedure). when this procedure is related to the first, and requires the use of an operating/procedure room, it may be reported by adding modifier 78 to the related procedure. (for repeat procedures, see modifier 76.) | GC | This service has been performed in part by a resident under the direction of a teaching physician | 58 | Staged or related procedure or service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional during the postoperative period: it may be necessary to indicate that the performance of a procedure or service during the postoperative period was: (a) planned or anticipated (staged); (b) more extensive than the original procedure; or (c) for therapy following a surgical procedure. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 58 to the staged or related procedure. note: for treatment of a problem that requires a return to the operating/procedure room (eg, unanticipated clinical condition), see modifier 78. | 24 | Unrelated evaluation and management service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional during a postoperative period: the physician or other qualified health care professional may need to indicate that an evaluation and management service was performed during a postoperative period for a reason(s) unrelated to the original procedure. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 24 to the appropriate level of e/m service. | 25 | Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional on the same day of the procedure or other service: it may be necessary to indicate that on the day a procedure or service identified by a cpt code was performed, the patient's condition required a significant, separately identifiable e/m service above and beyond the other service provided or beyond the usual preoperative and postoperative care associated with the procedure that was performed. a significant, separately identifiable e/m service is defined or substantiated by documentation that satisfies the relevant criteria for the respective e/m service to be reported (see evaluation and management services guidelines for instructions on determining level of e/m service). the e/m service may be prompted by the symptom or condition for which the procedure and/or service was provided. as such, different diagnoses are not required for reporting of the e/m services on the same date. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 25 to the appropriate level of e/m service. note: this modifier is not used to report an e/m service that resulted in a decision to perform surgery. see modifier 57 for significant, separately identifiable non-e/m services, see modifier 59. | 52 | Reduced services: under certain circumstances a service or procedure is partially reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the physician or other qualified health care professional. under these circumstances the service provided can be identified by its usual procedure number and the addition of modifier 52, signifying that the service is reduced. this provides a means of reporting reduced services without disturbing the identification of the basic service. note: for hospital outpatient reporting of a previously scheduled procedure/service that is partially reduced or cancelled as a result of extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well-being of the patient prior to or after administration of anesthesia, see modifiers 73 and 74 (see modifiers approved for asc hospital outpatient use). | 55 | Postoperative management only: when 1 physician or other qualified health care professional performed the postoperative management and another performed the surgical procedure, the postoperative component may be identified by adding modifier 55 to the usual procedure number. | 76 | Repeat procedure or service by same physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was repeated by the same physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 76 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 77 | Repeat procedure by another physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a basic procedure or service was repeated by another physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 77 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 79 | Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional during the postoperative period: the individual may need to indicate that the performance of a procedure or service during the postoperative period was unrelated to the original procedure. this circumstance may be reported by using modifier 79. (for repeat procedures on the same day, see modifier 76.) | AG | Primary physician | AY | Item or service furnished to an esrd patient that is not for the treatment of esrd | CC | Procedure code change (use 'cc' when the procedure code submitted was changed either for administrative reasons or because an incorrect code was filed) | CG | Policy criteria applied | CR | Catastrophe/disaster related | E3 | Upper right, eyelid | ER | Items and services furnished by a provider-based, off-campus emergency department | F1 | Left hand, second digit | F2 | Left hand, third digit | F3 | Left hand, fourth digit | F4 | Left hand, fifth digit | F5 | Right hand, thumb | F6 | Right hand, second digit | F7 | Right hand, third digit | F9 | Right hand, fifth digit | FA | Left hand, thumb | FS | Split (or shared) evaluation and management visit | GA | Waiver of liability statement issued as required by payer policy, individual case | GV | Attending physician not employed or paid under arrangement by the patient's hospice provider | GW | Service not related to the hospice patient's terminal condition | GY | Item or service statutorily excluded, does not meet the definition of any medicare benefit or, for non-medicare insurers, is not a contract benefit | GZ | Item or service expected to be denied as not reasonable and necessary | KX | Requirements specified in the medical policy have been met | LT | Left side (used to identify procedures performed on the left side of the body) | PD | Diagnostic or related non diagnostic item or service provided in a wholly owned or operated entity to a patient who is admitted as an inpatient within 3 days | PN | Non-excepted service provided at an off-campus, outpatient, provider-based department of a hospital | PO | Excepted service provided at an off-campus, outpatient, provider-based department of a hospital | Q6 | Service furnished under a fee-for-time compensation arrangement by a substitute physician or by a substitute physical therapist furnishing outpatient physical therapy services in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area | RT | Right side (used to identify procedures performed on the right side of the body) | SA | Nurse practitioner rendering service in collaboration with a physician | T1 | Left foot, second digit | T5 | Right foot, great toe | T7 | Right foot, third digit | T8 | Right foot, fourth digit | TA | Left foot, great toe | X1 | Continuous/broad services: for reporting services by clinicians, who provide the principal care for a patient, with no planned endpoint of the relationship; services in this category represent comprehensive care, dealing with the entire scope of patient problems, either directly or in a care coordination role; reporting clinician service examples include, but are not limited to: primary care, and clinicians providing comprehensive care to patients in addition to specialty care | X5 | Diagnostic services requested by another clinician: for reporting services by a clinician who furnishes care to the patient only as requested by another clinician or subsequent and related services requested by another clinician; this modifier is reported for patient relationships that may not be adequately captured by the above alternative categories; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the radiologist's interpretation of an imaging study requested by another clinician | XE | Separate encounter, a service that is distinct because it occurred during a separate encounter | XP | Separate practitioner, a service that is distinct because it was performed by a different practitioner | XS | Separate structure, a service that is distinct because it was performed on a separate organ/structure | XU | Unusual non-overlapping service, the use of a service that is distinct because it does not overlap usual components of the main service |
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| 2023-01-01 | Added | Code added. |
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