tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2008 Issue 12

You Be the Coder: Reporting 'Snuffbox' Fractures

Question: A patient reports to the ED with a wrist injury. Notes indicate that following a level-three exam, the ED physician diagnoses a closed "snuffbox fracture" and personally applies a thumb spica splint. The physician then directs the patient to see an orthopedist for follow-up care. What is a snuffbox fracture, and how should I code this scenario? California Subscriber Answer: A snuffbox fracture is a break in the anatomical snuffbox, or radial fossa of the hand near the carpal bones -- with the scaphoid and trapezium bones forming the "box" floor. When your ED physician diagnoses this type...

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