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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

You Be the Coder ~ Bone Debridement During a Facetectomy

Published on Wed Jun 20, 2007

Question: A patient with osteomyelitis of the spine reports for treatment. The surgeon performs a cervical facetectomy and also debrides the bone. Can we report 11044 for the debridement with the spine code?

North Dakota Subscriber

Answer: No, you cannot report 11044 (Debride-ment; skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle and bone) in this instance.

Why? The Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) bundles bone debridement into laminectomy codes.

On the claim, report 63045 (Laminectomy, facetectomy and foraminotomy [unilateral or bilateral with decompression of spinal cord, cauda equina and/or nerve root(s) (e.g., spinal or lateral recess stenosis)], single vertebral segment; cervical) for the service.
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