Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Don't let missing cervical procedure codes thwart your claims.If you don't know the difference between kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, you're setting your practice up for denials and lost reimbursement. Kyphoplasty (22523-22525) is similar to vertebroplasty (22520-22522), but the two are not identical, and you should not code them in the same way. Solidify your coding for these common neurosurgical procedures by following these five tips.1. Differentiate Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty CodesCPT offers you three vertebroplasty and three kyphoplasty codes. The spinal level on which the neurosurgeon performs the procedure determines which code you'll report. The vertebroplasty codes cover thoracic, lumbar, and each additional thoracic or lumbar vertebral body, as indicated in the code descriptors:22520 -- Percutaneous vertebroplasty, one vertebral body, unilateral or bilateral injection; thoracic22521 -- ... lumbar+22522 -- ... each additional thoracic or lumbar vertebral body (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure).The kyphoplasty descriptors follow the same pattern as the [...]