Orthopedic Coding Alert

Focus on diagnosis and disease stage for foolproof filing. Surgeons have performed hip core decompression to alleviate patients' pain for years, yet CPT still does not include a code for it. Avoid the self-inflicted pain of denials by examining your coding options and knowing what to expect based on the disease status. Prepare for 27299 as a Backup According to CPT and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), you should report hip core decompression with 27299 (Unlisted procedure, pelvis or hip joint). HCPCS does include S2325 (Hip core decompression), but it's non-covered by Medicare. "I bill 27299 for every insurance except Medicare and Florida Blue Cross/Blue Shield," says Conni Morris, a coder with Kennedy-White Orthopaedic Center in Sarasota, Fla. Tip: When filing with 27299, Morris compares it to 27071 (Partial excision [craterization, saucerization] [e.g., osteomyelitis or bone abscess]; deep [subfascial or intramuscular]). She includes an article from an AAOS [...]