Orthopedic Coding Alert

Question: In the medical documentation, the provider diagnosed the patient with a Jones fracture. What is the appropriate ICD-10 code for this condition?

Texas Subscriber

Answer: A patient who has a Jones fracture has fractured his fifth metatarsal — the bone that runs from the midfoot to the base of small toe. A Jones fracture enters the intermetatarsal joint.

You will choose the code based upon what the documentation says about the location of the fracture (right or left foot) and the type of fracture (displaced or nondisplaced).

Your ICD-10 code choices for a fifth metatarsal fracture are as follows:

• S92.351-, Displaced fracture of fifth metatarsal bone, right foot
• S92.352-, Displaced fracture of fifth metatarsal bone, left foot
• S92.353-, Displaced fracture of fifth metatarsal bone, unspecified foot
• S92.354-, Nondisplaced fracture of fifth metatarsal bone, right foot
• S92.355-, Nondisplaced fracture of fifth metatarsal bone, left foot
• S92.356-, Nondisplaced fracture of fifth metatarsal bone, unspecified foot.

You will also need to choose a seventh character, which indicates the kind of encounter, for the fifth metatarsal fracture codes. Your options for the seventh character are:

• “A” — initial encounter for closed fracture
• “B” — initial encounter for open fracture
• “D” — subsequent encounter for routine healing
• “G” — subsequent encounter for delayed healing
• “K” — subsequent encounter for non-union
• “P” — subsequent encounter for malunion
• “S” — sequela (pathological fracture for a fracture caused by a disease process or a late effect)