Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: The podiatrist made an incision in the skin over the infected portion of the bone in the patient’s foot. He incised through the soft tissue to gain access to the infected bone. The podiatrist then incised and reflected the periosteum. He debrided the infected portion of the bone and washed the area with an antibiotic solution. Finally, the podiatrist placed the periosteum back in its original position over the bone and closed the wound by suturing the soft tissue in layers.

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Answer: You should report 28005 (Incision, bone cortex (eg, osteomyelitis or bone abscess), foot) for this procedure. In this procedure, the podiatrist incises the bone cortex, which is the superficial part of the bone, to treat an infection in a bone of the patient’s foot.

Osteomyelitis defined: The code descriptor mentions osteomyelitis, which is an infection of bone.