All codes
N521
N521 – Re-opening of laminectomy for post-op haematoma/infection
OHIP Otolaryngology Code — SPINAL SURGICAL PROCEDURES · Schedule of Benefits
This code represents a surgical procedure under the Musculoskeletal System section. The service is eligible for payment to the performing surgeon (suffix A), a surgical assistant (suffix B), and an anaesthetist (suffix C) as per the rules in the General Preamble (, -, -). The specific details of the procedure are not provided in the supplied context.
When to Use
- Use N521 when performing an urgent surgical re-exploration to evacuate a symptomatic post-operative spinal hematoma.
- Use N521 for the surgical debridement and irrigation of a deep surgical site infection following a primary laminectomy.
Common Pitfalls
- Billing N521 concurrently with other spinal surgical procedures is prohibited unless specifically performing a duroplasty (E382).
- Attempting to bill N521 in conjunction with N522 will trigger an automatic rejection as these codes are mutually exclusive.
Billing Tips
- Ensure the operative report explicitly documents the post-operative complication (hematoma or infection) to justify the re-opening, as this is a high-scrutiny procedure code.
- Always append E382 if a duroplasty is required during the re-opening to capture the additional fee, as this is the only permitted add-on for this procedure.
Provider Fee$357.00
Surgical Assistant Fee$87.57
Anaesthetist Fee$123.92
Non-Anaesthetist Fee$123.92
Effective: April 1, 2025
Category
Z. Spinal Surgical Procedures
Subcategory
SPINAL SURGICAL PROCEDURES
Service Type
Surgical
Code Classes
Musculoskeletal System Surgical Procedures
Ready to bill this code?
SnapBill makes OHIP billing simple — auto-filled codes, validation, and batch submission.