Wiki Fracture Care

KoBee

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Having some trouble understanding when Orthopedic can bill for fracture care or not. Maybe someone can help me understand what to look for and what is billable or not. help :/ Patient was seen in urgent care and splint was applied and orthopedic wants patient to return in 4 weeks.


This orthopedic wants to bill
29075 (application)
25630 (fracture)
99243 (E/M)



Chief Complaint
Patient presents with​
•​
Hand Problem​
right hand injury

Patient seen at the request of Dr. xxxxx

Wrist Injury
The incident occurred 3 to 5 days ago. The pain is present in the right wrist. The quality of the pain is described as aching. The pain does not radiate. The pain is mild. The pain has been improving since the incident. Pertinent negatives include no chest pain or tingling. The symptoms are aggravated by movement and palpation. He has tried NSAIDs, rest, immobilization and ice for the symptoms. The treatment provided mild relief.

Patient fell while riding his dirtbike, injured his right wrist.  Seen in urgent care, placed in a splint.  Here for evaluation.  Denies any other injuries.

There is no problem list on file for this patient.

No past medical history on file.
No past surgical history on file

No current outpatient medications on file prior to visit.​
No current facility-administered medications on file prior to visit.​
No Known Allergies
Social History
    
Tobacco Use​
•​
Smoking status:​
Never Smoker​
•​
Smokeless tobacco:​
Never Used​
Substance Use Topics​
•​
Alcohol use:​
Not Currently​
Alcohol/week:​
1.0 standard drinks​
Types:​
1 Cans of beer per week​
Frequency:​
Monthly or less​
•​
Drug use:​
Not Currently​
Review of Systems
Constitutional: Negative for chills and fever.
Respiratory: Negative for cough and shortness of breath.
Cardiovascular: Negative for chest pain.
Gastrointestinal: Negative for abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Genitourinary: Negative for dysuria, frequency and urgency
Musculoskeletal: Positive for joint pain.
Neurological: Negative for tingling.
Patient's medications, allergies, past medical, surgical, social and family histories were reviewed and updated as appropriate.

Objective:

Physical Exam
Constitutional:
   General: He is not in acute distress.
   Appearance: Normal appearance.
Cardiovascular:
   Rate and Rhythm: Normal rate and regular rhythm.
   Pulses: Normal pulses.
Pulmonary:
   Effort: Pulmonary effort is normal.
Abdominal:
   General: Abdomen is flat.
Musculoskeletal:
   Right wrist: He exhibits decreased range of motion (mild, due to pain), bony tenderness (no TTP distal radius or ulna, mild snuffbox tenderness) and swelling (mild). He exhibits no deformity.
   Comments: Able to give thumbs up ok sign cross fingers
Neurological:
   Mental Status: He is alert and oriented to person, place, and time.
   Sensory: No sensory deficit.
   Gait: Gait normal.

XRAY right hand:

FINDINGS:
No soft tissue mass is seen.
No definite tumor like lytic or blastic changes are seen.

IMPRESSION:
There is a likely nondisplaced distal scaphoid fracture. Consider follow-up 3 view wrist x-ray and navicular view in 7-10 days

Assessment:
1.
Right wrist pain
X-ray wrist right PA lateral and oblique
2.​
Nondisplaced fracture of distal pole of navicular (scaphoid) bone of right wrist, initial encounter for closed fracture​

Plan:
Xray shows a possible nondisplaced scaphoid fracture.  Given his tenderness will manage as fracture.
Advised of risk of nonunion with scaphoid fractures.
Placed in a thumb spica cast
Cast care instructions given
Follow up 4 weeks with xrays out of
 
A fracture that is being treated non-operatively can be billed two ways: Office visits (with X-rays and cast changes) or Fracture care (with X-rays and cast changes). It is up to the provider to document what path they want to take because it's their decision. However, either decision they make must be documented. This cannot be "implied" or "just understood". The documentation must support the charges.
Remember that fracture care has a 90 day global, so no office visits can be billed during that 90 day period. Without documentation that the physician has chosen fracture care (and just writing down the codes they want billed is not enough) I would bill office visits. To address the codes that the physician wants billed: Casting cannot be billed with fracture care as that is bundled. Also chosen a consult code. Consult codes are almost never used anymore and this documentation does not support billing a consultation. Just because another doc wanted the patient to be seen by your doc does not mean that it meets the requirement for a consultation. Bottom line, if your doc wants to bill fracture care, they need to document it by stating that they are initiating fracture care.
 
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