Capture Bilateral Fixation During Torsion Repair Correctly
Question: The operative report documents surgical reduction of left testicular torsion followed by fixation of both testes. The surgeon fixed the right testis prophylactically. Can we report 54600 for the torsion repair and 54620 for fixation of the right testis? AAPC Forum Participant Answer: No, you cannot report two separate codes for the procedure you described. You’ll need to report 54600 (Reduction of torsion of testis, surgical, with or without fixation of contralateral testis) only. The single code illustrates surgical reduction of testicular torsion with or without fixation of the contralateral testis. This means that when the surgeon reduces the torsion and fixes the opposite testis during the same procedure, the contralateral fixation is already included in 54600 and should not be separately reported with 54620 (Fixation of contralateral testis (separate procedure)). Coding tip: Don’t choose an orchiopexy code simply because the operative report states that the surgeon performed an orchiopexy. For torsion, code selection should reflect the reason for the fixation and the procedure being performed. Lindsey Bush, BA, MA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
