Wiki Changes for CPT 27132/27130

[KarinQuiterio2023]

Good morning coders! I have a question.....my surgeons are being told by our local hospital that the IPO list for 2022 has changed the CPT codes for a total hip arthroplasty and we are now adivsed to code CPT 27132. Now, I know that CPT code is a conversion code as do my doctors; is this something Im missing? Documentation is NOT for a conversion so in my mind it should NOT be coded as such.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[fltbaroque]

I think they have misunderstood something here. They have taken the THA off the IPO list, not changed the code. We are scheduling our THAs as outpatient procedures. I can't imagine changing the code to 27132 just because it's an inpatient only code. Also, just because something is not on the inpatient only list doesn't mean it can't be scheduled as inpatient, especially if the patient has other underlying health conditions.

 

[amyjph]

That makes zero sense. I think they are being misinformed or the information was not understood properly. The IPO list has nothing to do with the description of a CPT code or whether the CPT description changed or not. Those CPT did not have updates this year. As fltbaroque stated above it just means that now an OPPS hospital or ASC can be paid when these are done as outpatient. And is 100% correct stating they can still be done IP according to clinical needs, etc.

27130 is still a total hip arthroplasty (primary) and 27132 is still a conversion of prior hip surgery to THA.
27130 has not had any changes since 2002 and 27132 has not had any changes since 2002 as well.

Sometimes there are confusions and authorization issues around this topic, could it be that? When TKA went off the IPO list there was a big uproar with payers trying to not pay if the patient had to be IP and many auth issues especially with UHC at first.
Maybe the particular hospital is not properly equipped to do THAs in an outpatient setting?