Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Save your practice $100 with knowledge of anatomic specifics. Mistaking bimalleolar and trimalleolar fracture codes? If so, you could be costing your practice almost $100 -- the difference in reimbursement between the open repair codes for these ankle fractures. Podiatrists must be specific when documenting fracture repair because CPT®'s index breaks down the ankle fracture codes into five types: lateral, medial, bimalleolar, trimalleolar, or posterior malleolus. Important: The term "open"' implies the site of the fracture was exposed to do a surgical repair and "closed" implies that the fracture was reduced without any exploration. "Closed treatment implies that the fracture site is not surgically exposed to the external environment and directly visualized. Open treatment is used when the fractured bone is either surgically opened to visualize and fix the fracture or is opened remote from the fracture site in order to insert an intramedullary nail across the fracture site," explains says [...]