A 28-year-old was in a car accident and is now in the ED due to 3 fingers on his left hand being completely amputated above the metacarpophalangeal joint during the crash. The ED physician calls in an orthopedic surgeon and the patient is taken to surgery. Under surgical microscope his index finger and middle finger were reconnected; however, his 3rd finger was not able to be reconnected due to extensive crush injuries to that finger, so that finger was surgically amputated. Select the appropriate CPT and ICD-10-CM codes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

CPT code 20822 represents reattachment of a finger or thumb, which is appropriate for the index and middle fingers that were reattached. Code 26951 is for the amputation of a finger or thumb, which applies to the third finger that was amputated. The modifier -51 is not needed for the 69990 code, which represents the use of a surgical microscope, as it is already implied in the context of multiple procedures. The ICD-10-CM codes S68.111A and S68.113A specify the traumatic amputation of the right index finger and right middle finger, respectively, which matches the scenario. S67.195A is for the crushing injury of the left ring finger, and V89.2xxA is for a person injured in a motor vehicle accident, which is appropriate for the context.

A 28-Year-Old Was in a Car Accident and Is Now