Wiki 29881 with 29875? Meniscectomy and popliteal cyst together?

[l1ttle_0ne]

Hello!

I'm fairly new to ortho coding and I'm unsure on this one. Can you bill a arthroscopic partial lateral meniscectomy with a debridement of a popliteal cyst? Doc is coding it as 29881 29875-59. See attached op note. Any help you can provide would be great! I'm really unsure of this one!

 

[kevans0409]

No. 29875 is considered a (separate procedure) which means it is bundled into the more complex procedure. Mod 59 cannot be added to unbundle. Now if the provider made an incision to remove the popliteal space (Baker's cyst), you can look at CPT 27345 Excision of synovial cyst of popliteal space. Be sure to check the NCCI edits to make sure there are no bundling edits between 27345 and 29881. I didn't have time to review that.

 

[l1ttle_0ne]

No. 29875 is considered a (separate procedure) which means it is bundled into the more complex procedure. Mod 59 cannot be added to unbundle. Now if the provider made an incision to remove the popliteal space (Baker's cyst), you can look at CPT 27345 Excision of synovial cyst of popliteal space. Be sure to check the NCCI edits to make sure there are no bundling edits between 27345 and 29881. I didn't have time to review that.

Thank you!

 

[lisahb7]

No. 29875 is considered a (separate procedure) which means it is bundled into the more complex procedure. Mod 59 cannot be added to unbundle. Now if the provider made an incision to remove the popliteal space (Baker's cyst), you can look at CPT 27345 Excision of synovial cyst of popliteal space. Be sure to check the NCCI edits to make sure there are no bundling edits between 27345 and 29881. I didn't have time to review that.

If codes 27345 and 29881 were performed: separate incisions, separate compartments essentially mutually exclusive. Would you need to place a modifier, and if so, would -59 apply to 29881, or 27345?