Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

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

Georgia 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, whichindicates 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)