Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert
Focus on Differences Between Achilles Tendon Repair Codes
Question: My podiatrist performed a primary open repair of an Achilles tendon. According to the medical documentation, he first made a large incision on the back of the patient’s lower leg. He dissected down through subcutaneous tissue to gain access to the torn tendon. Then, he brought the two ends of the tendon closer to each other and sutured them together. Lastly, he obtained hemostasis at the surgical site and closed the wound by suturing the soft tissue in layers. Which code should I report for this procedure? South Carolina Subscriber Answer: You should report code 27650 (Repair, primary, open or percutaneous, ruptured Achilles tendon) in this case because your podiatrist performed a primary open repair of a ruptured Achilles tendon. Notice that according to the code’s descriptor, you should also report this code if your podiatrist performs a primary percutaneous repair of a rupture Achilles tendon. On the other hand, you should report code 27654 (Repair, secondary, Achilles tendon, with or without graft) when your podiatrist performs a secondary repair of the Achilles tendon with or without a graft. Also, you should report code 27652 (Repair, primary, open or percutaneous, ruptured Achilles tendon; with graft (includes obtaining graft)) when the podiatrist performs primary open or percutaneous repair of the Achilles tendon with a graft. Achilles tendon defined: The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.
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Focus on Differences Between Achilles Tendon Repair Codes
Question: My podiatrist performed a primary open repair of an Achilles tendon. According to the [...]
