Orthopedic Coding Alert

In our March Reader Question "Infected Ingrown Nails May Be Payable," we advised orthopedic practices to report 11765 (Wedge excision of skin of nail fold [e.g., for ingrown toenail]) for ingrown toenail trimming.
 
Rodney Stuck, DPM, a Maywood, Ill., subscriber, pointed out that physicians must excise restrictive skin to report 11765, whereas the physician in our example simply trimmed the nail. Therefore, we should have advised reporting 11730 (Avulsion of nail plate, partial or complete, simple; single) for this service.