Orthopedic Coding Alert

Question: For a patient presenting with instability in the right second metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint with neuroma, our surgeon did the following procedures:

Please help us with billing these procedures.

Alabama Subscriber

Answer: There are no CPT® codes that describe tendon transfer in the foot or toe. You hence report the unlisted code 28899 (Unlisted procedure, foot or toes) for the tendon transfer that your surgeon is doing for the MTP instability. For the diagnosis of MTP instability, you report code 718.87 (Other joint derangement not elsewhere classified involving ankle and foot).

For the excision of the webspace neuroma between the second and third toes, you report code 28080 (Excision, interdigital [Morton] neuroma, single, each). You report the diagnosis code 355.6 (Morton's metatarsalgia, neuralgia, or neuroma).