tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2007 Issue 11

You Be the Coder: ICD-9 Coding for Burns in the Same Region

Question: A patient reports to the ED with a pair of burns: a second-degree burn on her right wrist and a first-degree burn on the back of her right hand. How many diagnosis codes should I report to account for these burns?Montana SubscriberAnswer: One. Because the burns were in the same anatomic location, you should code the diagnosis for the burn with the highest severity, and leave the burn of lesser severity off the claim. For this encounter, report 944.26 (Burn of wrist[s] and hand[s]; blisters, epidermal loss [second degree]; back of hand) to represent both...

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