You Be the Coder:
Knee Surgery
Published on Sat Dec 01, 2001
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.
Question: My surgeon performed an operative arthroscopy with partial medial meniscectomy, chondroplasty of femoral cartilage and excision of medial plica. He wants to use 29881 and 29877. Is this unbundling?
Iowa Subscriber
Answer: If the chondroplasty and meniscectomy are performed in the same compartment of the knee (in this case medial), only 29881 (arthroscopy, knee, surgical; with meniscectomy [medial OR lateral, including any meniscal shaving]) should be reported. However, if a medial meniscectomy is performed along with a chondroplasty in the lateral or patellofemoral compartments, then you can report both 29881 and 29877 (arthroscopy, knee, surgical; debridement/shaving of articular cartilage [chondroplasty]). A review of the operative report should determine whether you can report both codes. Resection of a plica is considered a component of most arthroscopic surgical procedures and is not coded separately.
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