Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Rule out fusion and confirm decompression. The Gill procedure, though not commonly done, may leave you confused if you are not clear on the structures removed and the nerve roots decompressed. See the advice that follows on what's needed to clearly document services so that you'll arrive at the correct code. Check Documentation You report 63012 (Laminectomy with removal of abnormal facets and/or pars inter-articularis with decompression of cauda equina and nerve roots for spondylolisthesis, lumbar [Gill type procedure]) when your surgeon specifically reports spondylolisthesis which is the slip of one vertebral body relative to another. An important cause of this slip is the discontinuity of the isthmus, also called the pars interarticularis, which typically occurs at L5. Fibrocartilaginous tissues develop at the pseudo-joint. This may lead to nerve root compression. A Gill procedure is done to correct compression from the spondylolisthesis. "A Gill procedure includes removal of the facets [...]