tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2006 Issue 3

You Be the Coder: How Do You Dx More Than 1 Severity Level?

Question: How should I choose codes from the 940-947 series if a patient has both first- and second-degree burns of the face? Should I code each level of burn separately or combine them?Arizona SubscriberAnswer: When assigning diagnoses for burns in the same anatomical location, you should report only the more severe (in this case, second-degree) burns using the appropriate location code.For instance, codes beginning with 941 describe face, head and neck burns. Use the 942 series for burns to the trunk. Codes 943, 944 and 945 describe burns to the arms, hands and legs, respectively.In addition...

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