How many base procedures are involved when two surgeons use different sutures for the same surgery?

In the context of OpTime and surgical coding, the concept of "base procedures" refers to the core procedures being performed during a surgical operation. When two surgeons operate on the same patient during the same procedure, they are effectively performing one surgical event, regardless of the different instruments or materials (such as sutures) they may use.

In this situation, even though the two surgeons might utilize different sutures, they are still executing a singular surgical procedure. This means that the base procedure count remains at one because the fundamental action or operation being performed does not change; it is still classified under a single base procedure.

This principle aligns with how medical coding usually categorizes surgical interventions: the focus is on the primary activity conducted rather than the specifics of the materials or methods used within that procedure. Therefore, selecting one base procedure is consistent with coding practices in the context of using different sutures by different surgeons during the same surgery.