Reader Question: Coding Aircast

Question: What is the definition of an air cast and how would I code it as a regular cast treatment?

Indiana Subscriber

Answer: An aircast is more of an ankle brace than a cast. Some facilities treat an aircast as a strapping procedure (29540, strapping; ankle) and others treat it as a supply (L4350, pneumatic ankle control splint [e.g., aircast], prefabricated, includes fitting and adjustment). A patient can easily remove and reapply traditional splints. If this cast can be removed and reapplied it would be considered a splinting device rather than a cast. If it is used to immobilize, it can be either a splint or strap. Your facility should determine how to bill aircasts and use those criteria consistently.


Reader Questions answered by: Jim Murdy, controller, Wheeling Hospital Inc., Wheeling, W. Va.; Rosemary Hakenwerth, MBA, RHIT, CCS, consultant with Healthcare Coding & Reimbursement Solutions, St. Louis; Ruthie Burden, CCS, CPC, CPAR, Medical Records Coding Office, St. Joseph Hospital, Augusta, Ga.; Caral Edelberg, CPC, CCS-P, president of Medical Management Resources Inc., an emergency department coding consulting firm in Jacksonville, Fla.; John Turner, MD, PhD, medical director for documentation and coding, healthcare financial services at TeamHealth, an ED staffing firm in Knoxville, Tenn.; Jan Weins, RHIA, director, medical records, East Texas Medical Center in Athens, Texas; Carol Dodd, RHIT, representative for MedQuist's Division of Coding and Information Services, a coding, consulting and transcription company in Gibbsboro, N.J.; and Terry Kok, patient accounting, Saint Francis Hospital, Tulsa, Okla.

- Published on 2001-03-01