AAOSNow – July 2021
by Sarah Wiskerchen and Michelle Abraham
For procedural coding in orthopaedic surgery, physicians, and their staff primarily rely on two information sources: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and the AAOS publication Complete Global Service Data for Orthopaedic Surgery (GSD). Practices may also be subject to payer-created coding and reimbursement guidelines, the most prevalent of which is called the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI), which was created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Understanding the differences between these guideline sources is key to accurate coding and appropriate reimbursement.