Orthopedic Coding Alert

Question: The surgeon performs arthrodesis of the carpometacarpal joint in a patient’s left thumb. During the procedure, they use internal fixation; the surgeon also obtains a graft and performs autografting. How many CPT^® codes should I report for this encounter?

Arkansas Subscriber

Answer: Surprisingly, all the actions you described are summed up in one code: 26842 (Arthrodesis, carpometacarpal joint, thumb, with or without internal fixation; with autograft (includes obtaining graft)). This code accounts for the arthrodesis, fixation, and autograft.

Modifier alert: Though the CPT^® code already specifies that the surgeon operated on the patient’s thumb, you should still append modifier FA (Left hand, thumb) to 26842 to indicate laterality.