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Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Surgical coding:

28299: Don't Tip Toe Around These 3 Hallux Valgus Correction Coding Tips

Published on Mon Oct 25, 2010

Key terms such as "metatarsal osteotomy" and "distal Aiken" can make all the difference.Podiatrists usually perform double osteotomies to correct a patient's hallux valgus or bunion. Reporting them could result to a double whammy if you failed to recognize the warning signs pointing to a second procedure for your hallux valgus corrections. How do you handle it?Probably the best initial step to take is to go back to the basics. Podiatrists and nonphysician practitioners operate within a defined set of vocabulary when performing bunionectomy. With this in mind, you should familiarize yourself with terms commonly used for this procedure -- and the op note is the best place to spot them. CPT 28296 (Correction, hallux valgus [bunion], with or without sesamoidectomy; with metatarsal osteotomy [e.g., Mitchell, Chevron, or concentric type procedures]) alone has two popular synonyms: Austin procedure and metatarsal osteotomy.Likewise, 28298 (... by phalanx osteotomy) is known to some podiatrist [...]
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