Wiki Incidental carpal tunnel release?

[fltbaroque]

We had a patient with flexor tenosynovitis in the operating suite for I&D of flexor tendon sheaths. During the procedure, the physician performed a carpal tunnel release "to get to the flexor pollicis longus". Can I code and bill for the carpal tunnel release, or would it be considered incidental and not billable?

Any help is appreciated!

Tobi Chandler, CPC

 

[Orthocoderpgu]

This is incidental and would not be coded

When you bill 64721 you are telling the insurance company that you are decompressing the median nerve that runs through the carpal tunnel.

If the patient is not diagnosed with CTS beforehand and have the ligament released due to CTS, then it would not be billable.

One of my hand surgeons was trying to find a tendon that detached and retracted proximally. In order to find the detached tendon he had to cut the carpal tunnel ligament in order to find it. And of course he wanted to bill the code 64721. But that's not correct. He was not decompressing the nerve.

As you code surgeries you will need to watch out for similar scenarios.

Good luck.

 

[fltbaroque]

When you bill 64721 you are telling the insurance company that you are decompressing the median nerve that runs through the carpal tunnel.

If the patient is not diagnosed with CTS beforehand and have the ligament released due to CTS, then it would not be billable.

One of my hand surgeons was trying to find a tendon that detached and retracted proximally. In order to find the detached tendon he had to cut the carpal tunnel ligament in order to find it. And of course he wanted to bill the code 64721. But that's not correct. He was not decompressing the nerve.

As you code surgeries you will need to watch out for similar scenarios.

Good luck.

Thanks so much!