Summary & Overview
HCPCS Level II A6407: Sterile Non-Impregnated Packing Strips, Wound Care
HCPCS Level II code A6407 designates sterile, non-impregnated packing strips up to 2 inches wide, billed per linear yard, used in wound packing to support drainage and healing. Nationally, this supply-level code matters because it standardizes billing for a common wound care material across outpatient and acute settings, affecting supply cost reporting and reimbursement workflows.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of what the code represents, typical sites of service where the product is used, and which payers commonly address coverage. The publication summarizes available benchmarks and policy considerations relevant to billing this supply item, highlights common billing modifiers in use, and outlines clinical contexts where sterile packing strips are applied.
The report is intended for revenue cycle professionals, coding staff, and clinical managers who need clear guidance on the code’s clinical purpose, common payer considerations, and where to look for coverage rules. Data not available in the input is identified explicitly in relevant sections.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code A6407 describes packing strips, non-impregnated, sterile, up to 2 inches in width, billed per linear yard. These packing strips are sterile, non-impregnated materials used for wound packing and management to promote drainage and healing.
Service Type: Wound care supply
Typical Site of Service: Outpatient wound care clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, emergency departments, and other settings where sterile wound packing is performed
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient scenario involves an adult or pediatric patient who requires wound packing for management of an open wound, incision with drainage, or surgical cavity that requires continued drainage and prevention of premature closure. For example, a patient presents to an outpatient wound clinic or ambulatory surgical center with a draining postoperative wound or an abscess cavity following incision and drainage. The clinician selects sterile, non-impregnated packing strips up to 2 inches wide (A6407) and cuts an appropriate length (charged per linear yard). The workflow includes wound assessment, cleansing and debridement as needed, placement of packing to fill the cavity without excess tension, securing the dressing, and patient education on dressing changes and signs of infection. Typical sites of service are outpatient wound care clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, emergency departments, and hospital bedside wound care in acute or inpatient settings.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when work required is substantially greater than usual (extensive debridement before packing) |
52 | Reduced services | Use when packing is partially completed or limited compared to full service |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the packing procedure is started but stopped for patient safety |
56 | Discontinued mid-procedure by another physician | Use when another physician discontinues the packing procedure |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons are required to manage a complex wound cavity during packing |
78 | Unplanned return to OR following initial procedure | Use when wound requires return to OR and repacking within postoperative global period |
80 | Assistant surgeon | Use when an assistant surgeon provides active assistance during wound debridement and packing |
82 | Assistant not available | Use when an assistant is not available and modifier documents the situation when required by payer |
AS | Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services | Use when an advanced practice clinician provides packing under applicable rules |
QX | CRNA service with direction by a physician | Use when anesthesia services are billed alongside procedures performed with packing in an OR setting |
QY | Medical direction by a qualified physician | Use when physician directs multiple qualified healthcare professionals providing perioperative support |
62 | Two surgeons (duplicate entry removed if necessary) | See above (note: included from provided list) |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
163W00000X | General Surgery | Commonly manages postoperative wound cavities and surgical packing |
208000000X | Emergency Medicine | Performs incision and drainage with packing for abscesses in ED settings |
273D00000X | Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine | Specializes in outpatient wound management and serial packing |
207P00000X | Family Medicine | Provides wound care and packing in clinic settings |
363L00000X | Plastic Surgery | Manages complex soft tissue defects requiring staged packing and closure |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
L02.91 | Cutaneous abscess, unspecified site | Abscess cavities commonly require incision, drainage, and packing |
T81.4XXA | Infection following a procedure, initial encounter | Postoperative wound infections may necessitate packing of infected cavities |
S01.81XA | Laceration without foreign body of other part of head, initial encounter | Open lacerations with cavity may be managed with packing to support drainage |
L89.903 | Pressure ulcer of unspecified part, stage 3 | Deep pressure ulcers with cavities are often managed with packing as part of wound care |
L98.4 | Chronic ulcer of skin, not elsewhere classified | Chronic ulcers with tunneling or cavities may need sterile packing strips |
Z48.02 | Encounter for removal of sutures | Related procedural encounters where wound assessment and packing may occur |
A49.9 | Bacterial infection, unspecified | Bacterial wound infections requiring drainage and packing when site-specific code not available |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
10060 | Incision and drainage of abscess; simple or single | Often performed immediately before placement of packing strips for an abscess cavity |
10061 | Incision and drainage of abscess; complicated or multiple | Used for more extensive abscesses requiring larger cavities to be packed |
11042 | Debridement, muscle and/or subcutaneous tissue (first 20 sq cm) | May be performed prior to packing when non-viable tissue requires removal |
97602 | Removal of devitalized tissue from wounds, selective debridement, without anesthesia (includes topical application) | May be used for serial debridement in wound care clinics before repacking |
99024 | Postoperative follow-up visit, normally included in the global period | Follow-up visits for wound checks and packing changes may fall within or outside global periods depending on circumstances |