Wiki Removal of hardware in same leg surgery is performed

[mindyanna]

Good Morning fellow coders. I have been trying to find documentation regarding removing hardware of the same site a surgical procedure will be done. I'm being told by my supervisor that it's okay to bill for the removal of a rod in the tibia and bill for a 27715 with a precise nail. This precise nail would go exactly where the previous rod was and I'm having a hard time with this. I was always told that if you have to remove hardware to do the procedure the hardware removal was not billable. I am being told it's okay as long as the payer is not a Government payer like Medicare, or Blue Federal. Is this true and if so can you direct me to documentation to support this? I would welcome everyone's opinion on this even if you don't know the answer to my question.

Thanks in advance!

 

[RyanRaichCPC]

Without seeing the actual op note, it is hard to say. Normally, you are correct in that hardware removal would be a component of the other surgery to be performed.