Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Hint: Report two units for each pair of shoes. A podiatrist's pride is helping patients to walk comfortably, something which isn't always easy for diabetics. The good news is Medicare covers therapeutic footwear for diabetic patients -- here's a breakdown of the shoe and insert coding and billing facts. Narrow Down Shoe Selection Based on Maker Select the correct shoe code based on whether the extra-depth diabetic shoes you are providing are off-the-shelf or custom made. Choose from HCPCS level II codes: • A5500 -- For diabetics only, fitting (including follow-up), custom preparation and supply of off-the-shelf depth-inlay shoe manufactured to accommodate multi-densityinsert(s), per shoe • A5501 -- For diabetics only, fitting (including follow-up), custom preparation and supply of shoe molded from cast(s) of patient's foot (custom-molded shoe), per shoe Frequency: Medicare covers one pair of shoes per calendar year for each qualified patient. When reporting the shoes, remember to bill for two [...]