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Orthopedic Coding Alert

Keep 2 Tips in Mind to End Cast Coding Mix-Ups

Published on Sun Nov 01, 2009

Watch 'procedure,' Q codes to collect all your pay, every time. Letting extra codes for cast services slip by unnoticed or misreporting Q codes can break your bottom line. But billing all possible components and cross-checking supply codes will help you pull all the pieces together. Bill All Components in Certain Situations The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines state that you can bill for individual components of cast application when the fracture treatment does not consist primarily of a "procedure." For example, you can code all components when your orthopedist treats a closed lateral malleolus fracture that does not require manipulation and chooses not to use 27786 (Closed treatment of distal fibular fracture [lateral malleolus]; without manipulation), says Susan Vogelberger, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, CMBS, CCP-P, CEO of Healthcare Consulting and Education in Boardman, Ohio. The orthopedist may then code each of the patient's visits with an E/M code [...]
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