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Orthopedic Coding Alert

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Report Repair of Each Tendon

Published on Mon Jul 23, 2012

Question: Can you help with this scenario? The operative note has the following for diagnosis:Laceration flexor carpi radialis.Laceration musculotendinous junction of the extensor digitorum superficialis tendon.Laceration sensory radial nerve.Brachioradialis laceration.The procedures performed by our surgeon are as follows:Repair flexor carpi radialis (FCR).Repair brachioradialis (BR) musculotendinous juncture.Repair flexor carpi radialis tendon, musculotendinous juncture and flexor digitorum communis (FDC).Repair radial sensory nerve.Repair 19 cm laceration. How can we report this condition?New York SubscriberAnswer: The surgeon is repairing 3 flexor tendons (FCR, BR, and FDC) so report code 25260 (Repair, tendon or muscle, flexor, forearm and/or wrist; primary, single, each tendon or muscle) x3. You report the musculotendon junction repair as tendon repair. You report the repair of the radial nerve with either 64856 (Suture of major peripheral nerve, arm or leg, except sciatic; including transposition) or 64857 (Suture of major peripheral nerve, arm or leg, except sciatic; without transposition) depending on whether [...]
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