Dr. did intra-articular implantation of antibiotic cement block. He also billed CPT 11044 on that date. He wanted to bill 20704 for implantation but that needs to be billed with a primary procedure code but per Dr. there isn't another code to be billed for procedure performed. Is there another appropriate code to bill for antibiotic implantation? Diag is M86.171
No.
For this procedure only CPT 11044 should be submitted.
CPT® 20704 is an add-on code and it may only be added to one of the 31 CPT codes listed on page 134 of the 2024 CPT Professional book. CPT 11044 is not one of those codes. In this scenario, the placement of the antibiotic cement block is considered to be a component of the debridement and only CPT 11044 should be submitted.
Jeffrey D. Lehrman, DPM, FASPS, MAPWCA, CPC, CPMA
Lehrman Consulting LLC