Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: My podiatrist treated Morton’s neuroma through an injection. They injected corticosteroid with an anesthetic around the nerve to relieve the pressure on the nerve. Which code should I report?

Washington Subscriber

Answer: You should report 64455 (Injection(s), anesthetic agent(s) and/or steroid; plantar common digital nerve(s) (eg, Morton’s neuroma)).

Code 64455 provides temporary relief of Morton’s neuroma. The podiatrist gives this injection in the plantar common digital nerve from the dorsal direction.

Only report 64455 one time per session, regardless of the number of injections your podiatrist administers. The only exception to this rule is when your podiatrist provides bilateral treatment. You’ll report the appropriate code twice in those cases and append modifiers LT (Left side) and RT (Right side). You should send notes with bilateral 64455 services since payers consistently deny more than one unit per day, even when billed correctly on two lines with the modifiers.