# 717.83 versus 844.2



## Alisha Lemmons (Jun 24, 2008)

My supervisor wants to use 717.83 for a torn ACL and I want to use 844.2. The only difference in this code to me, is old disruption. She says we don't know when they hurt their knee. Any comments would help us, thank you.


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## dmaec (Jun 24, 2008)

I'd go with the 844.2 if this is the first time the provider is seeing this patient for this issue and there isn't a history of an old injury. To use the 717.83 because we don't know when they hurt it I think is incorrect. How can the provider "not" know when the knee was injured?,...seems to me that would be one of the first questions asked and determined under the HPI!  If we know for sure there was an injury (old) before and now re-injured I'd go with the 717.83.  Maybe the patient told the doc that they originally hurt it years ago, and now - injured again, maybe that's why the doc believes the 717.83 is the better code. but then that should be stated in the documentation.  If OLD injury now re-injured isn't supported in the documentation, I'd go with the 844.2


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