Surgery: Musculoskeletal System (Q&A) (November 2018)
November 2018 page 11
Surgery: Musculoskeletal System
Question: A surgeon performs a primary repair of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) through the same incision. Is it appropriate to report this procedure with code 27695 ×1 or code 27695 ×2?
Answer: No, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code 27695, Repair, primary, disrupted ligament, ankle; collateral, should not be reported for the services described. Rather, one unit of code 27696, Repair, primary, disrupted ligament, ankle; both collateral ligaments, should be reported.
Surgery: Musculoskeletal System. CPT® Assistant. 2018; November 2018 page 11
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Note: The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.
Article Overview
This article is a short CPT Assistant question-and-answer item focused on musculoskeletal surgery coding for an ankle ligament repair scenario. It is relevant to coders, billers, auditors, and orthopedic practices reviewing CPT guidance for reporting related ligament repair services. The content centers on a specific code selection question and the related CPT terminology discussed in the answer.
Why This Topic Matters
Even short CPT Q&A articles can affect claim accuracy, audit risk, and coding consistency when a procedure involves overlapping anatomic structures or multiple repaired ligaments. Readers use this type of guidance to understand how CPT frames the reported service within musculoskeletal surgery.
What You Will Learn
How this CPT Assistant Q&A frames a musculoskeletal surgery coding question
The general topic area addressed by the article
Why a short CPT guidance item may be relevant for orthopedic coding review
The type of coding scenario discussed in the article
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