Outpatient Facility Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Toe the Right Line With Osteotomy and Reconstruction Modifiers

Question: The surgeon completed Mitchell osteotomy on the left foot first metatarsal, and hammertoe reconstruction on the second and third toes. Is it correct to code 28306-TA, 28285-T1, and 28285-T2 for the second and third hammertoe reconstruction?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: Some of your suggested codes are correct, but one isn’t. Here’s what you should report:

Code 28296 (Correction, hallux valgus [bunion], with or without sesamoidectomy; with metatarsal osteotomy [e.g., Mitchell, Chevron, or concentric type procedures]) with modifier LT (Left foot) is appropriate for Mitchell osteotomy in the left first metatarsal.

Code 28285 (Correction, hammertoe [e.g., interphalangeal fusion, partial or total phalangectomy]) is appropriate for hammertoe reconstruction of the second and third hammertoes. You should append modifiers T1 (Left foot, second digit) and T2 (Left foot, third digit).

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