Surgery: Musculoskeletal System (Q&A) (October 2016)
October 2016 page 11
Surgery: Musculoskeletal System
Question: A physician harvests autologous fat tissue from the hip, and the fat is injected into the defected area(s). What is the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code to report the fat grafting that was performed?
Answer: Fat grafting is reported with code 20926, Tissue grafts, other (eg, paratenon, fat, dermis). This code includes the work of harvesting the fat graft material by any method (eg, syringe, suction-assisted lipectomy, incision); closing the donor site, if indicated, and applying the appropriate dressing; processing the fat graft material; injecting the fat graft into...
Note: The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.
Article Overview
This October 2016 CPT Assistant Q&A article covers musculoskeletal surgery coding topics discussed in a question-and-answer format. It is aimed at coders and billing professionals who need to understand how CPT guidance addresses grafting work, donor and recipient site considerations, and a spine implant removal scenario. The article is relevant for readers looking for general CPT musculoskeletal guidance and related coding interpretation issues.
Why This Topic Matters
Musculoskeletal surgery coding often turns on how procedures are grouped, whether related work is included, and whether a separate code exists for a specific service. This article helps readers understand the scope of the CPT guidance being discussed without replacing the premium content.
Article Sections
October 2016 page 11
Introductory page marker for the Q&A content in this issue. The section includes musculoskeletal surgery coding questions discussed in CPT Assistant.
What You Will Learn
How CPT Q&A articles present musculoskeletal surgery coding guidance
The types of procedure-scope issues discussed for grafting services
General coding considerations related to spine implant removal scenarios
How to assess whether a musculoskeletal question is addressed in CPT guidance
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