Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert
Insert This Understanding to Your Unna Boot Documentation
Question: What is the required documentation to support billing CPT® 29580? I am relatively new to wound care and just want to be sure I am coding appropriately. As I understand it, an Unna boot may also be referred to as a multilayer compression wrap and to support billing, the physician must clearly state in their note, “multilayer compression wrap” versus making the statement, “Unna boot applied.” Is that correct? Idaho Subscriber Answer: Yes, because these are two different things. Code 29580 (Strapping; Unna boot) falls under the “strapping” category. An Unna boot is a product that has no stretch and has a layer of zinc that assists in the healing process. It is usually followed with Coban or ACE wrap due to the sticky nature. As such, it is not a multilayer compression wrap. If the doctor truly applied a multilayer compression wrap system to the lower extremity, that would be coded as 29581 (Application of multi-layer compression system; leg (below knee), including ankle and foot) and the documentation should clearly state how many layers were applied (usually three or four).
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