Orthopedic Coding Alert

Question: When a patient suffers a dislocated patella, which ICD-10 code should I report to reflect the condition?

Louisiana Subscriber

Answer: It is going to depend on the specifics of the encounter, but you should narrow your diagnosis coding choices down to the following:

• Acute dislocation: Look at the options under S83.0- (Subluxation and dislocation of patella).
• Congenital dislocation: Look at Q74.1 (Congenital malformation of knee).
• Recurrent dislocation: Look at the options under M22.0- (Recurrent dislocation of patella)
• Pathologic dislocation: Look at the options under M24.36- (Pathological dislocation of knee, not elsewhere classified).