Advanced Specialty Coding Virtual Summit: Orthopedics

Advanced Specialty Coding Virtual Summit: Orthopedics

November 11-13, 2025

Go beyond code selection to develop a clear understanding of the reimbursement challenges facing orthopedic practices — including bundling policies, prior authorization and medical necessity requirements — and practical strategies for their management.

Get the most up-to-date coding guidance for shoulder-to-toe orthopedic procedures, plus insight into payer bundling policies, modifier use and compliance risk areas. In addition, our expert speakers share their tested strategies for overcoming payers' medical necessity rules with adjustments to documentation.

Make sure you are up to date with coding and billing policies for your orthopedic practice's critical surgical procedures. Understand the impact of the latest revisions to spine and foot coding. Be prepared to address new payer policies that impact your most important procedures. Stay vigilant for potential compliance risks that can disrupt revenue.

Here's what we have in store for you in 2025:

• Take a deep dive into essential anatomy of major bones and joints as it impacts orthopedic procedures
• Learn appropriate procedure coding for open and arthroscopic procedures, including coding for new types of devices and techniques
• Get updated on documentation requirements, prior authorization snags and solutions for handling them
• Be alerted to compliance risk areas that can trip up providers and strategies to avoid them
• Understand the essential elements of Medicare's National Correct Coding Initiative, including the online policy manual, procedure-to-procedure edits and medically unlikely edits
• Ensure that documentation clearly supports procedures such as debridement and acromioplasty
• Walk through key coding updates, including bundling edit and AMA guideline changes
• Learn appropriate code selection for procedures including arthrodesis, laminectomy and placement of spinal hardware
• Expert advice: Submit your orthopedic coding questions to the fast-paced and informative live Q&A sessions that take place each day of the Summit.
• Get your entire team trained without sacrificing productivity and without spending thousands of dollars.
• Reduced expenses. No travel time and no travel costs – participate from the comfort of your own happy place!
• Extra! Add-on a specialty – Pain Management, Anesthesia, and/or Billing & Compliance – and attend sessions from multiple tracks spanned over time.

Advanced Specialty Coding Virtual Summit: Orthopedics

Virtual Conference Day 1 — Tuesday, November 11, 2025

11:55 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Session 1: Keep Your Knee Coding on Course
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, COC, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR
Stay on top of compliant coding for both open and arthroscopic knee procedures, including meniscal and ligament procedures, hemi- and total knee arthroplasty. Gain insight on documentation and pre-authorization to ensure proper payment and reduce denials.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Essential knee anatomy and the most typical orthopedic procedures
• Appropriate procedure coding for open and arthroscopic procedures, including coding for new types of devices and techniques
• Documentation requirements, prior authorization snags and solutions for handling them

12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Session 2: Fortify Foot and Ankle Procedure Coding
Michael G. Warshaw, DPM, CPC, CSFAC, CPODCS, COCS, CMSCS
Deepen understanding of common techniques for hallux valgus/varus and hammertoe repairs, reduction of malleolus and LisFranc fractures, as well as tendon and ligament repairs. Learn critical foot and ankle procedure coding principles so you can avoid compliance pitfalls.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Fundamentals of foot and ankle anatomy as it impacts code selection
• Proper coding for typical foot and ankle repairs, including different techniques of hammertoe and bunion repair, fracture reduction, fusion and soft tissue correction
• Compliance risk areas that can trip up providers and strategies to avoid them

1:10 p.m. –  1:25 p.m.
Break (15- minute break)

1:25 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.
Session 3: Master Medicare’s National Correct Coding Initiative Policies for Orthopedics
Ruby Woodward, BSN, CPC, CPMA, CDEO, CEMC, CPCO, CPB, COSC, CSFAC, CPC-I
Learn how to navigate Medicare’s core procedure coding policies, including procedure-to-procedure code pairs, medically unlikely edits and add-on code limits. Delve into when it’s appropriate to unbundle an edit and the correct use of modifiers to do so.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand: 

• The essential elements of Medicare’s National Correct Coding Initiative, including the online policy manual, procedure-to-procedure edits and medically unlikely edits 
• Correct use of NCCI modifiers 
• Essentials of Medicare’s code bundling policies, including services that are included in the global surgical package and those that may be billed separately 

2:35 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Live Q&A with the Speakers
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, COC, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR
Jessyka Burke, BSHA, CPC, COSC, CASCC
Bring your questions to this live Q&A session. BONUS: Have a tough scenario or complicated question you’ve been struggling with, submit your scenario and/or question ahead of time. Submit to Laura Evans at Laura.Evans@decisionhealth.com by Oct. 11, 2025.

Virtual Conference Day 2 — Wednesday, November 12, 2025

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Session 1: Pump up Your Shoulder Coding
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, COC, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR
Lock in appropriate reimbursement with documentation and coding that clearly demonstrate medical necessity for open and arthroscopic procedures including rotator cuff repair, acromioplasty, biceps tenodesis, shoulder replacement, capsulorrhaphy and more.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Shoulder anatomy as it relates to accurate coding
• How to ensure that documentation clearly supports procedures such as debridement and acromioplasty
• Important updates to AMA CPT and NCCI policies for shoulder surgeries

12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Session 2: Flex Your Elbow and Forearm Coding
Jessyka Burke, BSHA, CPC, COSC, CASCC
Learn the essential anatomy of the elbow and forearm, then get a grasp of tenotomy procedures to address tennis and golfer’s elbow, tenodesis, elbow scopes, fracture repair and compartment syndrome, as well as updates on coding for new devices and techniques.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Fundamental anatomy of elbow and forearm bone, tendon and nerve structures as they impact coding
• Key acute injuries and chronic complaints and how their repairs are coded for this extremity
• Compliance risk areas and code bundling policies for elbow and forearm procedures

1:10 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.
Break (15 minute break) 

1:25 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.
Session 3: Get a Grip on Proper Wrist, Hand and Finger Coding
Jessyka Burke, BSHA, CPC, COSC, CASCC
Review the bones and tendons of the wrist and hand and correct coding for procedures including CMC arthroplasty, correction of Dupuytren’s contracture and trigger fingers. Learn how to tackle complex trauma repairs such as volar tendon reconstruction, and get a first look at the next round of code changes.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Essential anatomy of the wrist, hand and fingers for coding purposes, including common types of fractures
• How to determine correct coding based on documentation for procedures including bone cyst excision, nerve transection and fasciectomy
• Coding for open, arthroscopic and percutaneous carpal tunnel procedures

2:35 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Live Q&A with the Speakers
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, COC, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR
Jessyka Burke, BSHA, CPC, COSC, CASCC
Bring your questions to this live Q&A session. BONUS: Have a tough scenario or complicated question you’ve been struggling with, submit your scenario and/or question ahead of time. Submit to Laura Evans at Laura.Evans@decisionhealth.com by Oct. 11, 2025.

Virtual Conference Day 3 — Thursday, November 13, 2025

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Session 1: Align Your Hip Procedure Coding
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, COC, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR
Keep your hip procedure coding accurate and up to date by learning the latest guidance for hip arthroplasty, scope procedures, sacroiliac joint fusion and fracture treatment. Find out how to work with payer medical necessity and prior authorization policies to ensure payment.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Essential hip and pelvis anatomy and how it impacts code selection
• Key coding updates, including bundling edit and AMA guideline changes
• Payer prior authorization policies and how to comply with them

1:10 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.
Break (15 minute break) 

1:25 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.  
Session 3: Stretch your Spine Coding Skills, Part 2
Alison Kuley, CPC
Strengthen your understanding of spinal anatomy, the key procedures performed and how they are coded. In Part 2, we’ll look at surgical procedures in the 60000 code range including disc decompression, treatment of spinal stenosis, the “spondys” and coding of new technologies and devices.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the learner will understand:

• Key aspects of spine anatomy that impacts coding
• Steps for code selection for procedures including arthrodesis, laminectomy and placement of spinal hardware
• Important code updates and how they will affect spine coding
• Critical spine surgery documentation and code bundling rules

2:35 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Live Q&A with the Speakers
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, COC, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR
Alison Kuley, CPC
Bring your questions to this live Q&A session. BONUS: Have a tough scenario or complicated question you’ve been struggling with, submit your scenario and/or question ahead of time. Submit to Laura Evans at Laura.Evans@decisionhealth.com by Oct. 11, 2025.

— Agenda subject to change —

Advanced Specialty Coding Virtual Summit: Orthopedics

Pricing

Retail price: $399.00

Add on a specialty – Pain Management, Anesthesia, and/or Billing & Compliance Virtual Summit – for $100 each.

Group pricing is as follows:

• 2-10 attendees = each attendee receives 10% discount off retail price
• 11-15 attendees = each attendee receives 15% discount off retail price
• 16-20 attendees = each attendee receives 20% discount off retail price
• 21 or more attendees = each attendees receive 25% discount off retail price

Discounts will appear in your cart.

Advanced Specialty Coding Virtual Summit: Orthopedics

Continuing Education

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