AMA CPT® Assistant - 2012 Issue 9 (September)

Surgery: Musculoskeletal System (Q&A) (September 2012)

September 2012 page 16a Surgery: Musculoskeletal System Question: Doctor Jones places deep hardware (anchors) and some Kirschner-wires (K-wires) for fracture treatment of carpal bones. Doctor Smith from a different practice evaluates the patient's now severely displaced, nonunion fracture with instability. Surgery is performed to stabilize and repair the nonunion wherein Doctor Smith must remove the previously placed hardware. May the removal of hardware be separately reported with code 20680? Answer: Yes. It is appropriate for Doctor Smith to report code 20680, Removal of implant; deep (eg, buried wire, pin, screw, metal band, nail, rod or plate). In addition, the...

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CPT® Assistant content is the official source for CPT® coding guidance. It is an instrumental tool when appealing insurance denials and validating coding to auditors. Monthly issues and an extensive archive provide comprehensive guidance on proper CPT® coding for past, present and upcoming code set releases. Archives date back to 1990 for historical use of codes, changes, rationales, coding tips and trends in the industry.

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