Orthopedic Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

Confirm Prosthesis for Patellar Arthroplasty

Question: Our surgeon did a patellar resurfacing in an outpatient facility. Is it correct to report this as 27446 (Arthroplasty, knee, condyle and plateau; medial OR lateral compartment) or do we bill this as unlisted? The patient had a total knee replacement over a year ago.Ohio SubscriberAnswer: Patellar resurfacing is actually patelloplasty. The term 'resurfacing' implies that some type of implant was used. You report 27438 (Arthroplasty, patella; with prosthesis) for this procedure. Your surgeon will virtually always adopt an open approach to patelloplasty as this procedure involves removal of a portion of the patient's knee cap.
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

Orthopedic Coding Alert

View All

Which Codify by AAPC tool is right for you?

Call 844-334-2816 to speak with a Codify by AAPC specialist now.