Orthopedic Coding Alert

Hint: Bones and fixators guide you to the correct codes. When your surgeon treats patients with complex, traumatic bone injuries, you may have documentation indicating a pilon fracture -- which may throw you into unchartered waters. But if you're paying attention to which bones were repaired, whether the repairs were internal or external, and any staged fixations, you'll be well on your way to accurately coding pilon cases. Grasp These Pilon Basics: Pilon fractures are intra-articular fractures in the dome of the distal tibial articular surface. These extend into the adjacent metaphysis. Trauma to the ankle is the usual cause for these fractures. "The term 'pilon' refers to the mechanism of injury when one bone is driven into another bone with force," says Heidi Stout, BA, CPC, COSC, PCS, CCS-P, Coder on Call, Inc., Milltown, New Jersey and orthopedic coding division director, The Coding Network, LLC, Beverly Hills, CA. The fibula [...]