Orthopedic Coding Alert

Report radiologic supervision and interpretation, but skip bone biopsies.When your orthopedist performs a vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty procedure, you'll need to decide if there are additional services you should be coding and reporting. Get the scoop on what you can -- and can't -- separately report.Note: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)'s Evidence and Outcomes Committee came out with an algorithm for spinal compression fractures and found no evidence that vertebroplasty was beneficial. The committee gave a strong recommendation of that surgeons should not perform this procedure, which may influence payers. Don't be surprised if they balk at paying for this. Modifier 26 Gets You Radiology PayYou can report the operating surgeon's imaging for needle positioning and injection assessment during a kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty procedure. You'll use either 72291 (Radiological supervision and interpretation, percutaneous vertebroplasty, vertebral augmentation, or sacral augmentation [sacroplasty], including cavity creation, per vertebral body or sacrum; under fluoroscopic guidance) [...]