Orthopedic Coding Alert
Check for Other Procedures with Foreign Body Removal
Question: The patient was diagnosed with retained foreign body, right index finger, with reactive flexor tenosynovitis. Our surgeon did the following procedures:
1. Right index volar exploration with removal of wood splinter foreign body.
2. Flexor tenosynovectomy, right index finger.
3. Debulking of superficialis with excision of ulnar slip of superficialis tendon, right index finger.
What diagnosis codes can we report? How can we report these procedures?
Answer: You report code 20525 (Removal of foreign body in muscle or tendon sheath; deep or complicated) for the removal of the foreign body. You may possibly report 26145 (Synovectomy, tendon sheath, radical [tenosynovectomy], flexor tendon, palm and/or finger, each tendon) for the tenosynovectomy in right index finger. It is better to review the operative note in detail to select definitive codes. The diagnosis code is 728.82 (Foreign body granuloma of muscle) and the ICD-10 code for this is M60.241 (Foreign body granuloma of soft tissue, not elsewhere classified, right hand).
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Orthopedic Coding Alert
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Check for Other Procedures with Foreign Body Removal
Question: The patient was diagnosed with retained foreign body, right index finger, with reactive flexor [...]
