Joanne Willer, Manager of coding and reimbursement resources in the AAOS Office of Government Relations, recently wrote an article for the AAOS Now summarizing the relevant changes to the musculoskeletal section for 2020.
To view her full article follow this link.
Below is a overview of her article. For a full summary of the additions, deletions, and revisions, refer to Appendix B of the CPT Manual.
Six new add-on codes describing insertion and removal of drug-delivery implant devices specific to musculoskeletal treatments have been added to the CPT code set for 2020.
The new codes were created to differentiate between the existing codes (which are in the integumentary section of CPT 11981–11983) and orthopaedic procedures for the treatment of soft tissue-, bone-, and joint-related infections. The new codes are for insertion, removal, and removal with reinsertion of nonbiodegradable drug-delivery implants.
Multiple specialties have been using the existing codes, which lack specificity, and that was the catalyst for change.
CPT code 20926, Tissue grafts, other (e.g., paratenon, fat, dermis), has been deleted for 2020.
That code was identified as potentially misvalued by the AMA Relative Value Scale Update Committee Relativity Assessment Workgroup (RAW). RAW determined that the code was being used for significantly different procedures, such as small soft-tissue grafts, correction of minor contour deformities, and placement into a defect for reconstructive purposes.
In the absence of code 20926, five new codes have been created to report those services.
Additionally, several changes were made to codes within the Extracranial Nerves, Peripheral Nerves, and Autonomic Nervous System section of the CPT Manual, including revised code descriptors to the 64400–64450 series of codes; instructional parenthetical notes; and deletion of codes 64402, 64410, and 64413.
