Orthopedic Coding Alert

When performing arthrodesis procedures at multiple levels, your surgeon may use more than one graft. Generally, each type of bone graft may be reported one time regardless of the number of segments being fused. Good idea: Confirm with your payer before reporting multiple grafts, since payers may have specific guidelines for these services.Caveat: You do not report one graft per segment or level. "The bone grafts codes can be reported once per session for each type of bone graft used," says Jennifer Schmutz, CPC, health information coder at the Neurosurgical Associates, LLC in Salt Lake City, Utah. "There are six different CPT® codes available to use for bone grafting during spinal surgeries, which include the CPT® range +20930-+20938 and 38220 (Bone marrow; aspiration only)," says Schmutz. "The coder may assign a code for each type of bone graft used, however each CPT® may only be coded once per surgical session."In [...]