Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Approach, span and devices influence your claimWhen your neurosurgeon provides spinal instrumentation services, you'll need to identify what instruments were used and whether the surgeon removed and reinserted the instrumentation. Brush up on your spinal instrumentation coding skills -- and improve your claim results for these services -- by following our expert advice: Identify the Device When your surgeon places wires, screws, rods, or any other spinal fixation, you can efficiently select the appropriate code if you know the approach and fixation points. There are ten codes you can choose from when you report initial spinal instrumentation: + 22840 -- Posterior non-segmental instrumentation (e.g., Harrington rod technique, pedicle fixation across 1 interspace, atlantoaxialtransarticular screw fixation, sublaminar wiring at C1, facet screw fixation)[List separately in addition to code for primary procedure]+22841 -- Internal spinal fixation by wiring of spinous processes [List separately in addition to code for primary procedure]+ 22842 -- Posterior segmental instrumentation (e.g., pedicle [...]