OASIS Alert

You don't need to repeat staging codes to recoup deserved reimbursement.

OASIS demands that you code the stages of your patient's multiple wounds, but it doesn't have to give you a headache. Follow these rules to whip up wound stage codes in no time.

Rule #1: When a patient's wounds are at the same stage, you only need to use the staging code once, says Marianna Rone, director of clinical services for Healthcare Provider Solutions in Nashville, TN.

Example: Your patient has a pressure ulcer on her hip and on her heel that are both at stage II. You should code:

• 707.04 (Decubitus ulcer, hip)

• 707.07 (Decubitus ulcer, heel)

• 707.22 (Pressure ulcer stage II)

Rule #2: When a patient's wounds are at different stages, you should list the most severe one first followed by its stage and then code the additional ones, Rone says.

Example: Your patient has a stage IV pressure ulcer on her hip and a stage III pressure ulcer on her heel. You should code:

• 707.04 (Decubitis ulcer, Hip)

• 707.24 (Pressure ulcer, Stage IV)

• 707.07 (Decubitis ulcer, Heel)

• 707.23 (Pressure ulcer, Stage III).