Orthopedic Coding Alert

Question: How should I bill Medicare when we do more than one finger injection on the same day? The diagnosis is usually 727.05 (Other tenosynovitis of hand and wrist) or 727.03 (Trigger finger [acquired]).

Florida Subscriber

Answer: The diagnoses you offered indicate that the orthopedist is probably injecting the tendon sheath or ligament, which would point to 20550* (Injection; tendon sheath, ligament, ganglion cyst). To show Medicare that the physician injected multiple digits, append the finger modifiers (-FA through -F9) to 20550 on separate line items.