Orthopedic Coding Alert
Remember 7th Character for This Fx Dx
Question: Encounter notes indicate that a patient suffered from an atypical femoral fracture. What is the correct ICD-10 code for this encounter? AAPC Forum Subscriber Answer: You’ll need some more information from the encounter notes in order to choose the correct diagnosis code for an atypical femoral fracture, as this injury comes in several different forms. Go back and check the notes to see if you can get answers to these questions: Which leg suffered the injury? Was the fracture complete or incomplete? Is there any mention of a transverse or oblique fracture? With this info, you’re ready to choose your diagnosis code from the following: Don’t stop there: Once you’ve settled on a six-character diagnosis code for the fracture, be sure to select one of the following 7th characters to complete the ICD-10 code: A = initial encounter for fracture D = subsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing G = subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing K = subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion P = subsequent encounter for fracture with malunion S = sequela.
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