Orthopedic Coding Alert
Remember Laterality Rules on Electrothermal Annuloplasty
Question: A patient with lumbar spondylolysis reports to the surgeon for percutaneous intradiscal electrothermal annuloplasty. Under fluoroscopic guidance, the surgeon inserts a needle for guidance, then passes a catheter probe into the annulus fibrosis and attaches the catheter to a generator to heat the catheter and decompress the disc material. This procedure was performed bilaterally on the lumbar area. How should I report this encounter? AAPC Forum Subscriber Answer: On the claim, you should report 22526 (Percutaneous intradiscal electrothermal annuloplasty, unilateral or bilateral including fluoroscopic guidance; single level) for the procedure with M43.06 (Spondylolysis, lumbar region) appended to represent the patient’s spondylolysis. More on 22526: Although the surgeon performed the procedure bilaterally, the descriptor directs you to report 22526 once whether the procedure was unilateral or bilateral. Likewise, the descriptor instructs you that the code includes fluoroscopic guidance.
Orthopedic Coding Alert
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