Orthopedic Coding Alert

Check compartments, extras for 29877 and G0289 success. Chondroplasty might be one of the most common knee procedures on your orthopedist's schedule, but that doesn't mean you'll always how to handle the claim -- especially if you're unsure when to report CPT versus HCPCS coders. Read on for the latest on payer preferences and when you can -- or can't -- report each option. Know Your Codes and Payers Most coders automatically think of 29877 (Arthroscopy, knee, surgical; debridement/shaving of articular cartilage [chondroplasty]) for chondroplasty procedures, and that is a viable choice. Confusion arises when you bill 29877 with another arthroscopic procedure or when you remember another option in your HCPCS book: G0289 (Arthroscopy, knee, surgical, for removal of loose body, foreign body, debridement/shaving of articular cartilage [chondroplasty] at the time of other surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment of the same knee). "Using 29877 versus G0289 is payer specific," says [...]