Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy offers multiple reporting options.You're not alone if you've been stumped while coding a tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy -- with the list of similar-looking codes, anyone could get turned around. The key is memorizing which codes represent a wall up and wall down approach, and identifying an ossicular chain reconstruction (OCR). Read on to learn how. 1: Canal Wall Up with OCR Preserves Canal, Removes OssiclesThe hallmark of a canal wall up mastoidectomy is preserving intact the bony posterior external auditory canal.Description: The surgeon drills the cortex overlying the mastoid bone, identifies the tegmen, sigmoid sinus, and sinodural angle, and then enters Koerner's septum, explains Barbara J. Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPCH, CPC-P, CENTC, CHCC, president of N.J.-based CRN Healthcare Solutions. Once in the antrum, the surgeon exposes the attic and thins down the external auditory canal wall. Lastly, the surgeon removes disease along with the head of the malleus and [...]