Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Take heed of bone flaps and be watchful for sites to avoid missing a correct codeYou could be losing earned reimbursement for your surgeon's burr hole procedures if you can't identify whether the hole was exploratory or for an investigational purpose, and if it was followed by an extensive surgical procedure. Scan the operative note for details on where the burr hole was done and if the surgeon placed any devices. Back to basics: Burr holes are small ports created in the skull to gain access to inside the cranium. "A burr hole is a drill used to make a small dime size hole in the skull," says Teresa Thomas, BBA, RHIT, CPC, practice Manager II, St. John's Clinic " Neurosurgery, Springfield, Missouri. Burr holes may involve opening the dura mater to gain access to the pathology underneath (See figure 1 for anatomical details). The dura is a tough covering on [...]