Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Three ICD-9 codes will turn into dozens of options under ICD-10.

As we mentioned in a previous issue (“Open Toe Wound Coding Gets Much More Specific in 2015,” Podiatry Coding and Billing Alert Vol. 6, No. 7), the diagnosis codes for open wounds of the toes will expand from three codes under ICD-9 into several dozen once ICD-10 becomes effective on Oct. 1, 2015.

ICD-9: Under the current diagnosis coding system, the three codes you can use to describe open wounds of the toes are:

• 893.0 — Open wound of toe(s) without complication 
• 893.1 — Open wound of toe(s) complicated 
• 893.2 — Open wound of toe(s) with tendon involvement. 

ICD-10: Starting in October 2015, to find the right code, the podiatry coder will have to answer a few questions:

• Was there damage to the nail?
• Was the wounded toe a greater or lesser toe?
• Which foot was the wounded toe on?
• What caused the wound: a laceration, puncture or bite?
• If it was a laceration or puncture, is there a foreign body?

In the previous article, we examined open toe wounds that did not involve damage to the nail. Now we’ll look at coding for wounds that do involve nail damage.

Lacerations: For laceration of toes with nail damage, report one of these ICD-10 codes:

Open bites: For open bites of the toes with nail damage, report one of the following:

Unspecified open wound: For an unspecified open wound of the toe with nail damage, report one of these ICD-10 codes:

Don’t miss: In addition to the six characters in the above codes, you’ll add a seventh one depending on whether it is an initial encounter (e.g., S91.111A), a subsequent encounter (e.g., S91.111D), or sequela (e.g., S91.111S).