Orthopedic Coding:
Define ‘Discrete Structures’ for Shoulder Debridement Procedures
Published on Thu Jun 12, 2025
Question: I’m new to orthopedic coding, and I am trying to understand shoulder debridement procedures. For example, with an arthroscopic shoulder debridement, I know that I can’t count the cuff debridement as well as biceps tendon toward the “discrete structures” in the procedure code. However, if the provider performs a subacromial decompression and lists debridement of the subacromial and subdeltoid [...]