Verruca and Podiatry Treatments to Cure It

1. Verruca and Podiatry Treatments to Cure It Certain verrucae are painful and effective podiatry treatments like cryotherapy or salicylic acid preparation are available to treat such HPV infections. Verrucae are plantar warts that commonly occur on the soles of the feet or around the toe area. Caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), warts are contagious through direct person-to- person contact. This foot condition can become virulent if left untreated and can cover a large area of the feet. In many cases, such warts go away in two years. However, treatment from a podiatrist is important, if the wart is painful and has led to difficulty in walking or if the patient has a weak immunity system. Podiatry billing and coding services can assist podiatry practices to get their reimbursement on time for the treatment provided. www.outsourcestrategies.com 918-221-7769

2. Treatment Home treatments include sticking duct tape on the wart and using oils like lemon oil or tea tree oil to remove it. For mosaic warts, podiatrists often begin the treatment with a salicylic acid or formaldehyde containing gel. Salicylic acid preparations are available as gels, paints, plasters, colloidion etc. These may be combined with podophyllum resin. Other preparations contain formaldehyde, glutraldehyde, tretinoin (Retinoic acid) or benzoyl peroxide. For a large number of small verrucae, the area will be soaked for 10 minutes at night in a weak formaldehyde solution. Another treatment for verruca is cryotherapy, which is done by freezing the affected area with liquid nitrogen. This therapy is usually painful and may lead to formation of blisters and is thus not used in children. If there is no improvement after 7 or 8 visits of freezing, the treatment is considered a failure and discontinued. This therapy may also be combined with a salicylic acid preparation. Other options include removal of verruca under local anesthesia, medications such as interferons, 5- flurouracil, or bleomycin to stop recurrence or growth of wart and laser treatments for multiple warts. While reporting verruca on medical claims, these ICD-10 codes can be used B07 Viral warts B07.0 Plantar wart B07.8 Other viral warts B07.9 Viral wart, unspecified Best Practices to Prevent Spreading of Warts Being a viral disease, warts can spread to other people from contaminated surfaces or through close skin contact. Verruca is more likely to be spread, if your skin is wet or damaged. To stop warts and verrucae from spreading - Make sure to wash your hands after touching a wart or verruca www.outsourcestrategies.com 918-221-7769

3. Change your socks daily if you have a verruca Cover warts and verrucae with a plaster when swimming Keep your feet clean and dry Never share towels, socks or shoes if you have a wart Do not walk barefoot in public places if you have a verruca Make sure not to scratch or pick a wart Podiatry treatments for verruca have to be clearly documented using the applicable medical codes. Medical billing outsourcing is an ideal option for busy podiatry practices to get their reimbursement without delay. www.outsourcestrategies.com 918-221-7769