AHA Coding Clinic® for HCPCS - 2020 Issue 3; Ask the Editor

Bone grafting of femur and tibial tunnels

A patient with a left knee anterior cruciate ligament tear, torn lateral meniscus and retained hardware from a previous anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction presented for a left knee arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament repair, open removal of retained hardware and bone grafting of the distal femur and tibial tunnels.Following the arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament repair, a tibial incision was made through subcutaneous tissue to access the tibial tunnel in order to remove the deep hardware. Guide pins were placed in the tibial tunnel and next putty and dowels (grafts) were placed in the tibial and femoral tunnels. What code(s) would be reported for the open removal of retained deep hardware, along with placement of bone graft to the femur and tibial tunnels? Is it appropriate to assign codes for both the arthroscopic and open portions of the procedure? ...

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