Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Hint: Make sure your primary diagnosis matches the procedure codes.If you're just plodding though nerve surgery claims, you could be stepping over a great deal of well-earned reimbursement.Coding and billing peripheral nerve surgeries for conditions such as tarsal tunnel and diabetic neuropathy can involve a frazzling number of codes. And podiatry coders often struggle to navigate the various coding guidelines that payers use for these procedures. Use these five tips to maximize payment for your podiatrist's hard work on nerve surgeries:Tip #1: Check CCI edits and your local Medicare guidelines. If you're billing codes that the Correct Coding Initiative bundles together -- and your documentation and diagnosis codes can't justify breaking the bundle -- you're not going to see one extra cent for that bundled procedure code.Example: A California Medicare patient injures his foot when he falls off a ladder and requires peripheral nerve surgery to correct the damage the injury caused. [...]