Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: My podiatrist performed an osteotomy of the patient’s calcaneus. She first incised the skin and dissected down through tissues to bone, making sure to protect the sural nerve. After exposing the calcaneus, my podiatrist used an osteotome to make incisions and formed a wedge shape in the bone. Once she removed the wedge, she aligned the bones into a new position. She fixed the bones in place with screws and wire. Finally, she controlled bleeding, removed all instruments, and closed the incision in the skin in layers. Which code should I report for this procedure?

Maine Subscriber

Answer: You should report code 28300 (Osteotomy; calcaneus (eg, Dwyer or Chambers type procedure), with or without internal fixation).

Don’t miss: The code descriptor for 28300 mentions a Dwyer procedure. This occurs when the podiatrist uses incisions starting on the outside of the heel that join on the inside with bone taken from the side of the heel.