Mohs Surgery

Mohs Surgery 31340 (PDF 167 KB)
Mohs Surgery 31340 (Word 506 KB)

What does the change involve?

MBS item 31340 is being amended to allow it to be performed in association with MBS items 31000, 31001 and 31002 for micrographically controlled serial excision (Mohs surgery). This change recognises that surgeons performing Mohs surgery on occasion need to excise muscle, bone or cartilage to allow them to close defects created by cancer such as the invasion of muscle, bone or cartilage.

This results from the Skin Services Review of 1 November 2016, which led to stakeholder feedback that practitioners should be able to co-claim the MBS items for micrographically controlled serial excision (Mohs surgery: items 3100031002) with the item for the excision of muscle, bone or cartilage (31340). The rationale for this recommendation was that surgeons performing Mohs surgery on occasion need to excise muscle, bone or cartilage, to allow them to close defects created by the invasion of cancer in these tissues.

What are the patient eligibility requirements?

The patient must be undergoing surgical treatment for a skin malignancy and require the excision of muscle, bone or cartilage for completion of the procedure.

Where can the procedure take place?

The procedure can be performed only in hospital.

Relevant organisations

· The Australasian College of Cutaneous Oncology

· The Australasian College of Dermatologists

· Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine

· Australian Medical Association

· The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons

· The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

For details of all the MBS changes from 1 May 2017, please refer to Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (2017 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2017 (click on the ‘Explanatory Statement’ tab) or visit MBS Online.