Orthopedic Coding Alert
Detail Matters on Osteomyelitis Dx
Question: For coding purposes, what are the different types of osteomyelitis? Alaska Subscriber Answer: You’ll need to follow several steps to arrive at the correct osteomyelitis ICD-10 code. check out this primer on how to get the diagnosis correct the first time. 4th character: There are more types of osteomyelitis than you might think, as indicated by the numerous 4th character options to represent the condition. your first step will be to identify the osteomyelitis type and choose one of the following base codes: 5th character: Once you decide on the osteomyelitis type, you will need to identify body area. For the M86.- (Osteomyelitis) code set, they are broken down by shoulder; humerus; radius and ulna; hand; femur; tibia and fibula; ankle and foot; other sites; or multiple sites. 6th character: Where applicable, you’ll code to the 6th character to indicate laterality. So, let’s say a patient has a diagnosis of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis of the left ankle and foot. On the claim, you’d report M86.072 (Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis, left ankle and foot) for the condition.
Orthopedic Coding Alert
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Detail Matters on Osteomyelitis Dx
Question: For coding purposes, what are the different types of osteomyelitis? Alaska Subscriber Answer: You’ll need to [...] - Reader Questions:
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