Summary & Overview
CPT 28120: Hindfoot Bone Debridement of Talus or Calcaneus
CPT code 28120 designates surgical removal of infected portions of the talus or calcaneus by craterization, saucerization, or diaphysectomy. This hindfoot bone debridement procedure is clinically important for managing osteomyelitis or severe localized bone infection that threatens limb function or healing. It represents an operative service typically performed by orthopedic or podiatric surgeons in an inpatient operating room or outpatient ambulatory surgery center.
Key national payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of the clinical context for CPT code 28120, standard sites of service, and the procedural intent. The publication summarizes common modifier usage and payer considerations where available, and it outlines what to expect from billing and documentation perspectives.
This piece provides clinicians, billing professionals, and policy stakeholders with the essential benchmarks and policy-relevant points to understand how CPT code 28120 fits into musculoskeletal infection management and surgical coding workflows. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 28120 describes a surgical procedure to remove infected portions of the talus or calcaneus bone using craterization, saucerization, or diaphysectomy. This is an operative debridement procedure focused on infected bone within the hindfoot.
Service Type: Surgical — Orthopedic / Podiatric debridement of bone
Typical Site of Service: Hospital operating room or ambulatory surgery center, depending on clinical complexity and patient needs.
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 56-year-old male with chronic osteomyelitis of the posterior calcaneus after a diabetic foot ulcer that failed conservative management. The patient presents with localized heel pain, purulent drainage, and radiographic evidence of bone sequestrum and cortical destruction of the calcaneus. Preoperative workup includes plain radiographs and MRI to delineate extent of infection, glycemic optimization, and a surgical consent discussing craterization/saucerization or diaphysectomy of the infected talus or calcaneus. The procedure is performed in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital operating room under regional or general anesthesia. Intraoperative steps include incision and exposure of the calcaneus or talus, removal of devitalized bone using curettes, rongeurs, and high-speed burr (craterization or saucerization) or segmental diaphysectomy if indicated, copious irrigation, intraoperative bone cultures, and placement of local antibiotic beads or drains as indicated. Postoperative workflow includes wound care, targeted intravenous antibiotics guided by culture results, pain control, non-weightbearing or protected weightbearing per surgeon instructions, and scheduled outpatient follow-up with wound checks and repeat imaging to confirm resolution of infection.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use when craterization/diaphysectomy is performed on both right and left talus/calcaneus during the same operative session |