Orthopedic Coding Alert
READER QUESTION ~ Consider Treatment Type for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Question: Our surgeon recently treated cubital tunnel syndrome. How should we code the diagnosis and procedure? Answer: Cubital tunnel syndrome (354.2) results from a combination of local pressure and stretching of the ulnar nerve at the elbow as it passes behind the medial epicondyle. Because you don't specify which treatment the surgeon provided, it's hard to select the right code. Reader Questions were reviewed by Heidi Stout, CPC, CCS-P, director of orthopedic coding services at The Coding Network LLC; and Bill Mallon, MD, orthopedic surgeon and medical director at Triangle Orthopaedic Associates in Durham, N.C.
Massachusetts Subscriber
If the physician diagnosed the condition at the visit, he may have performed a nerve conduction study (95900-95904). If he splinted the arm, you should report the appropriate splinting code (such as 29105). If he performed a cubital tunnel release, you should report 64718 (Neuroplasty and/or transposition; ulnar nerve at elbow).
Orthopedic Coding Alert
- Avoid These 5 Computer-Assisted Navigation Pitfalls
Don't forget to send documentation with your 0054T-0056T claims Orthopedic practices increasingly use computer-assisted navigation [...] - Recoup Reimbursement for Long-Term CTS Treatment
Documentation is the key to success When a patient's carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) treatment stretches [...] - 3 Steps Determine New vs. Established Patient Status
Even if the patient has been to your office before, he might be new Proper [...] - Use This Simple Tool to Determine Whether the Patient Is Really New
Answer the new-vs.-established question correctly every time Take the AMA's advice and answer these five [...] - YOU BE THE CODER ~ How Should We Bill Sacrococcygeal Injection?
Question: Which code should I report when the physician administers a steroid injection in the [...] - READER QUESTION ~ Payers May Not Accept Modifier 56
Question: We recently sent a patient to her primary- care physician (PCP) for a preoperative [...] - READER QUESTION ~ Modifier 51 Indicates 2 Tendons
Question: Our surgeon performed a tenolysis on the peroneus brevis and longus tendons of the [...] - READER QUESTION ~ Look to 823.00 for McKeever Fracture
Question: Our surgeon documented a tibial eminence fracture (McKeever type III). Which diagnosis code applies [...] - READER QUESTION ~ Consider Treatment Type for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Question: Our surgeon recently treated cubital tunnel syndrome. How should we code the diagnosis and [...] - Should We Hire a Physical Therapist or Not?
Ever since CMS changed the physician -incident-to- guidelines for servicing Part B outpatient physical therapy [...] - Keep This in Mind When Making Your Decision to Hire a PT
In September 2006, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of what is known [...] - 5 Key Facts About the Therapy Cap You Can't Afford to Miss
Cap exceptions go fully automatic this year As many orthopedic practices know, the -therapy cap- [...]
