A 52-year-old woman who has rheumatoid arthritis is suffering with her right second toe bending upward in the middle. It is causing her to not be able to wear her shoes and she is having pain when walking. Her rheumatologist referred her to orthopedics to have the hammertoe looked at and possibly corrected. She is going to have surgery to correct the hammertoe by doing an interphalangeal fusion. What is the correct code for this procedure?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

28285 is the correct code and can be used for any correction of hammertoe, including interphalangeal fusion or partial/total phalangectomy.
Code 28280 is incorrect because this code is for syndactylization. Code 28286 is incorrect because this code is for cock-up fifth toe with plastic skin closure and 28290 is incorrect because this code is for the correction of bunions.

A 52-Year-Old Woman Who Has Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Suffering with Her