ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

While you may look at an ankle wrapped in an ACE bandage and tape and automatically think "strap," your insurers may not feel the same way. Though some insurers will consider ACE bandage placement a strapping encounter, there are also payers that do not.

"In my experience, both payers and clinical conventions support the use of strapping when the physician has stabilized a joint with nonrigid materials allowing the patient to retain some range of motion, such as tape, web rolls and possibly an ACE bandage," says Greer Contreras, senior director of coding for Marina Medical Billing Service Inc. in California.

But - : "The use of ACE bandages as strapping is controversial at best," she says.

Coders can deal with this issue by doing a little research and instilling coding uniformity in the office. "I recommend having a policy in place specifying what materials your group considers appropriate to use for strapping. And speak with your payers regarding their specific policies on strapping," Contreras says.

If the payer does not accept an ACE bandage wrap as strapping, you will probably have to code the service with the appropriate-level evaluation and management code.