Orthopedic Coding Alert

To appropriately support your spinal osteotomies reporting, you'll need to indicate underlying conditions like kyphosis or ankylosing spondylitis that necessitate the osteotomy procedures performed.

Tip: Be specific about the cause and type of kyphosis.

"Pedicle subtraction that achieves approximately 30 degrees to 40 degrees of correction in the sagittal plane for each spinal level operated is the preferred osteotomy for patients with ankylosing spondylitis who have an imbalance of the spine in the sagittal plane," offers Jennifer Schmutz, CPC, health information coder at the Neurosurgical Associates, LLC in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• And it's not too early to start thinking about the ICD-10 versions of these conditions. See the table below for ICD-9 and related ICD-10 versions of common diagnosis underlying spinal osteotomy procedures: