As part of CMS' recently released 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule, the payments for knee meniscectomy for Medicare patients have changed, according to an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons report.
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The rule has changed the Relative Value Unit amount for arthroscopic meniscectomy medial and lateral (CPT 29880) from 20.14 to 16.85, a 16 percent decrease. Total RVUs for arthroscopic meniscectomy medial or lateral (CPT 29881) was also altered from 18.82 to 16.16, a 14 percent decrease.
Descriptors for both codes also changed to include chondroplasty when performed at the same time, according to the report. CMS made these changes partially due to a survey conducted by AAOS and other professional societies, which found previous RVUs were much longer than the codes estimated.
Despite the decrease in RVUs for these procedures, there is still a significant amount of value in performing them because "skin-to-skin" time has decreased by 39 percent to 44 percent, according to the report.
Related Article on Orthopedic Surgery:
AAOS: Coding Guidance for Hand Procedures
5 Updates on Debridement Coding
Surgery Center Coding Guidance: X-Stop Procedure
The rule has changed the Relative Value Unit amount for arthroscopic meniscectomy medial and lateral (CPT 29880) from 20.14 to 16.85, a 16 percent decrease. Total RVUs for arthroscopic meniscectomy medial or lateral (CPT 29881) was also altered from 18.82 to 16.16, a 14 percent decrease.
Descriptors for both codes also changed to include chondroplasty when performed at the same time, according to the report. CMS made these changes partially due to a survey conducted by AAOS and other professional societies, which found previous RVUs were much longer than the codes estimated.
Despite the decrease in RVUs for these procedures, there is still a significant amount of value in performing them because "skin-to-skin" time has decreased by 39 percent to 44 percent, according to the report.
Related Article on Orthopedic Surgery:
AAOS: Coding Guidance for Hand Procedures
5 Updates on Debridement Coding
Surgery Center Coding Guidance: X-Stop Procedure