An Orthopaedic Surgeon's Guide to Billing and Coding.

Understanding the nuances of musculoskeletal documentation, coding, and billing is an integral part of any orthopaedic practice, but these nuances are not actively taught in most orthopaedic residency programs. The paucity of medical billing education overwhelms many young orthopaedic surgeons as they begin their first job. In addition, not understanding how their value as a surgeon is calculated poses a significant disadvantage when negotiating employment contracts. The purpose of this review article is to educate orthopaedic residents, fellows, and new attendings on how to effectively document during clinical and surgical encounters to maximize value, understand basic orthopaedic coding, and introduce important billing concepts.