27487 52
By Connie L. Zeller, CPC
September 05, 2013
Partial knee replacement surgery is becoming a common treatment option knees damaged by injury or disease such as osteoarthritis because the surgery is less invasive with less postoperative pain and better range of motion than total knee arthroplasty. However, there is a possibility that a patient will need a revision of a Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (UKA) to a Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA).
CPT code 27487, Revision of total knee arthroplasty, with or without allograft; femoral and entire tibial component, should be billed with modifier 52 for a reduced service. Revision of a Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty is the reduced service of a Total Knee Arthroplasty, there is not a CPT code for UKA revision. Also, if prosthesis is removed, use code 27488, Removal of prosthesis, including total knee prosthesis, methylmethacrylate with or without insertion of spacer, knee. Code 27488 should not be reported with code 27487 if a new prosthesis is implanted.