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Insurance: Total Body Photography Coding
As of January, 2007, Whole Body Integumentary Photography or Total Body Photography (including MoleMapCD technology) is covered by American Medical Association CPT Category I Code 96904. Below is a full description of the AMA description and rationale:
96904 – Whole body integumentary photography, for monitoring of high-risk patients with dysplastic nevus syndrome or a history of dysplastic nevi or patients with a personal or familial history of melanoma.
Rationale
Code 96904 was established with the conversion of Category III codes 0044T and 0045T to Category I status to report whole body integumentary photography for the monitoring of high-risk patients with dysplastic nevus syndrome or a history of dysplastic nevi, or patients with a personal or familial history of melanoma. This code is intended to report the use of photography as a benchmark for skin cancer identification, and is meant to be used no more than once per year for retention in the patient’s record.
Clinical Example (96904)
A 29-year-old woman presents with an atypical mole and a family history of melanoma. Her physician evaluates her skin every three months to spot and identify change in existing moles and pigmented lesions in addition to identifying the appearance of new developments. The physician uses the patient’s permanent benchmark set of images for an accurate and precise evaluation of the patient’s skin, eliminating guesswork, memorization, and unnecessary biopsies.
Description of the Procedure (96904)
The patient undergoes whole body integumentary photography under established guidelines and protocols. Images are produced in digital format with an image viewing software program and also produced with an interactive viewing album.
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