Scabs don't always indicate non-healing surgical wounds
Answer: Surgical incisions healing by primary intention with any portion of scab are not coded as 998.83 (non-healing surgical wound) on the OASIS diagnosis questions, explains coding and OASIS expert Lisa Selman-Holman, consultant and principal of Selman-Holman & Associates in Denton, Texas. If you are marking the wound as non-healing ONLY because of scab presence (i.e. there is not dehiscence and no signs and symptoms of infection) then code for aftercare along with the code for scab: 782.8, she says.