Orthopedic Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Check for Bundle in 27472 And 13121

Published on Mon Jun 18, 2012

Question: Please confirm if 27472 (Repair, nonunion or malunion, femur, distal to head and neck; with iliac or other autogenous bone graft [includes obtaining graft]) and 13121 (Repair, complex, scalp, arms, and/or legs; 2.6 cm to 7.5 cm) are bundled in the 2012 Complete Global Service Data?

Our surgeon did the following procedures:

Debridement of fibrous non-union left femur

Application of iliac crest bone graft, left femur

Application of allograft, left femur

Application of bone morphogenic protein, left femur

Complex layered wound closure, left thigh (27 cm)

Application of Simplace wound VAC sponge dressing, left thigh 27 cm

Florida Subscriber

Answer: It may not show as actually bundled in CCI because repair codes for 27472 and 13121 are considered inherently bundled. You cannot report these together. According to AAOS, the global surgical package for code 27472 includes "closure of wound and repair of tissues divided for initial surgical exposure, partial or complete".

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