Is Buddy Taping the Same as Strapping Toes?
Question: A patient presented with a suspected broken toe. They stubbed their left big toe on a curb while running. The provider captured anteroposterior (AP) and lateral X-ray views of the toe. After reviewing the images, the podiatrist diagnosed the patient with a nondisplaced fracture of the left great toe distal phalanx. The provider buddy taped the patient’s great toe to the second digit on the patient’s left foot, and they were advised to rest and avoid weight-bearing activities. What codes will I use to report the encounter? South Carolina Subscriber Answer: Use 73660 (Radiologic examination; toe(s), minimum of 2 views) to report the two-view X-rays of the patient’s great toe. Append modifier LT (Left side) to indicate the provider imaged the left toe. Next, you’ll assign 29550 (Strapping; toes) to report the buddy taping of the patient’s great toe and second digit. Check with the payer to confirm if they require digit-specific modifiers, such as TA (Left foot, great toe) and T1 (Left foot, second digit), appended to the strapping code. Lastly, use S92.425A (Nondisplaced fracture of distal phalanx of left great toe, initial encounter for closed fracture) to report the diagnosis. The 7th character code “A” is used to identify that the patient is seeking active treatment for the injury. Mike Shaughnessy, BA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
