Orthopedic Coding Alert
Removal of Pin
Gayle Case
Wasilla, Alaska
Answer: More often than not, when a surgeon removes a deep implant, the operating room is used. Code 20680 (removal of implant; deep [e.g., buried wire, pin, screw, metal band, nail, rod or plate]) should be used when surgical removal of the implant requires deep dissection to visualize an implant that is usually located below the muscle level within the bone, says Heidi Stout, CPC, CCS-P, coding and reimbursement specialist at University Orthopaedic Associates in New Brunswick, N.J.
Examples of this include removal of plates and screws used to fix a forearm fracture or removal of an intramedullary rod from the thigh. Code 20670* (removal of implant; superficial [e.g., buried wire, pin or rod]) should be used when the hardware can be removed with relative ease, such as pins placed in the toes. These procedures are often performed in the physicians office.
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