Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: I am new to podiatry coding and I'm finding that the podiatrist I code for uses several terms in his documentation that I can't translate into codes. He wrote that he performed an "Austin bunionectomy." What code should I use for that procedure? Is 28299 correct?

Arkansas Subscriber

Answer: No, the correct code to use for the bunionectomy your podiatrist performed is 28296 (Correction, hallux valgus [bunion], with or without sesamoidectomy; with metatarsal osteotomy [e.g., Mitchell, Chevron, or concentric type procedures]). Code 28299 (... by double osteotomy) is not the correct code to report when your podiatrist performs an Austin bunionectomy. Code 28299 represents a double-osteotomy procedure, and the Austin bunionectomy involves only a single osteotomy.

Terminology tip: Your doctor might also call this a metatarsal osteotomy or the Chevron procedure.