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Orthopedic Coding Alert

Anatomy 101:

3 Tips Organize Your Knee Arthroscopic Claims into Compartments, Common Terms, and Descriptor Details

Published on Wed Apr 28, 2010

Treatment location and diagnoses clue you in to correct code sets.If knee arthroscopy hovers near the top of your surgeon's case list, don't get lost when he accesses multiple compartments. Learn your anatomy and follow some simple coding rules " including how to deal with knee areas that aren't associated with particular compartments " to stay on track every time.Tip 1: Translate the Knee Compartment Location Into Correct CodesCPT includes a large list of codes for knee procedures, but everything your surgeon does within the knee must take place within one (or more) of three compartments. Your first step in successful coding is knowing each compartment's location:Medial: The inner joint surfaces of the femur and tibiaLateral: The outer joint surfaces of the femur and tibiaPatellofemoral: The joint between the underside of the kneecap (patella) and the femur. The surgeon must document which compartment (or compartments) he accesses during the procedure. [...]
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