Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: My podiatrist gave me an op note for a "Brostrom procedure," and I have no idea what this is except that the podiatrist operated on the ankle of a soccer player who had repeated sprains. The note mentions a posterior tibial tendon reconstruction and a lateral tendon reconstruction. Is this part of the Brostrom? If so, what is this procedure and what codes should I report? 

Iowa Subscriber

Answer: The tendon reconstruction you speak of is part of the Brostrom because a Brostrom procedure repairs torn ligaments on the outside of the ankle (lateral ligaments). The podiatrist reconstructs the torn ligaments by shortening them and reattaching them to the lateral malleolus (ankle bone). The best code to report for this is 27698 (Repair, secondary, disrupted ligament, ankle, collateral [e.g., Watson-Jones procedure]).