CMS APPROVES ORTHOFIX CODING REQUEST

Orthofix International announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved Orthofix's request and has consequently modified its coding mechanisms to include specific coding for hospital procedures utilizing external fixation devices. Currently, there is no means by which a healthcare facility can report the specific category of external fixation device used as an adjunct to a fracture management case or as a standalone procedure. As of October 1, with the modification and expansion of existing ICD-9 procedure codes, which will allow facilities to separately code and report usage of external fixation products, a data source will be created from which the CMS can accurately track utilization, costs and quality outcomes of procedures involving external fixation products.

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