Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: Another podiatrist told my doctor that billing L3000 at the time of casting is incorrect. When should we bill for this then?

-- Arizona Subscriber

Answer: You should bill L3000 (Foot insert, removable, molded to patient model, UCB type, Berkeley shell, each) only when your podiatrist releases the orthotic device to the patient. The L3000 code descriptor specifies that the code is for "foot insert, removable, molded to patient model." The code is for the finished product (supply) and does not cover the casting procedure (service); therefore, it is inappropriate to bill for the product at the time of casting.

Try this: If your podiatrist does his own casting in his clinic and sends the mold out to the lab, you can bill the casting service separately using the unlisted casting code 29799 (Unlisted procedure, casting or strapping).