Medical coding change could impact access to breast reconstruction options
Dr. Karri Adamson, a plastic surgeon with BayCare Clinic, weighed in on a on a WBAY Channel 2 News story about a coding change that could make it more difficult to access breast reconstruction options after cancer treatment.
One of those options is DIEP Flap surgery which uses a patient’s lower abdominal skin and fat to reconstruct breast tissue after mastectomy. A change affecting the way the government codes breast reconstruction surgery already is making the surgery harder to get, Adamson says.
“More recently, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has decided to lump in the DIEP Flap with the more traditional type of breast reconstruction codes,” Adamson says. “The unfortunate thing is this has led to some surgeons not offering the procedure anymore and also some surgeons dropping insurance coverage completely which makes access to the DIEP Flap procedure much harder.”
The complete interview is available online. Watch it here.