In simple words: The doctor prepares and inserts a device into the bone marrow to deliver medication, usually during another procedure like fracture repair or joint replacement. This helps prevent infection and promotes healing.

Manual preparation and insertion of a drug delivery device into the intramedullary canal of a bone. This code is reported in addition to the primary procedure.

Example 1: A patient sustains a tibial fracture and undergoes open reduction and internal fixation with an intramedullary nail.To prevent infection, the surgeon prepares and inserts an antibiotic-impregnated drug delivery device into the intramedullary canal at the same time., During a total hip arthroplasty, the surgeon uses a manually prepared bone cement mixed with antibiotics and molds it into a spacer to deliver the medication locally. This is considered inherent to the procedure and would not be reported with 20702 as 27488 includes the spacer placement., A patient with osteomyelitis of the femur undergoes debridement of the infected bone. The surgeon then prepares and inserts an antibiotic-eluting bead chain into the intramedullary canal to deliver antibiotics directly to the infection site.

Documentation should include details of the primary procedure, the type of drug delivery device used, the medication delivered, the method of insertion, and the location of insertion.