AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2005 Issue 4; VOLUME 3 NEW/REVISED CODES

360 Degree Spinal Fusion

Effective October 1, 2005, code 81.61, 360 degree spinal fusion, single incision approach, has been deleted from ICD-9-CM’s procedural classification. Since the creation of code 81.61, which became effective October 1, 2002, there has been considerable confusion among coders regarding the appropriate use. Because code 81.61 has not been used consistently, the reported data are not reliable. Therefore, 360 degree spinal fusions are coded with the appropriate spinal fusion code (81.06, 81.08, 81.36 and 81.38) depending on the type of fusion performed. When coding spinal fusion procedures, the coder...

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