Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Question: How is an endoscopic discectomy and decompression of lumbar spinal nerve without laminectomy/lamintomy and/or forminotomy coded? Our physicians are describing the removal of the disc endoscopically, transforminal or through the forminal space and at the same time are doing a lateral discectomy but not performing a laminectomy or forminotomy actually entering the disk percutanously for removal. Then they used lazor to shrink the disk space only. Please help us to report these procedures.

Ohio Subscriber

Answer: For the endoscopic disc removal, you report code 62287 (Decompression procedure, percutaneous, of nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disc, any method utilizing needle based technique to remove disc material under fluoroscopic imaging or other form of indirect visualization, with the use of an endoscope, with discography and/or epidural injection[s] at the treated level[s], when performed, single or multiple levels, lumbar). This code is inclusive of the decompression procedure.