tci Part B Insider - 2009 Issue 21

READER QUESTION :Open Fracture May Not Require Use of Open Fracture Care Codes

Keep an eye on the full operative report -- not just the diagnosis codes -- to determine fracture care type. Question: Our orthopedic surgeon documented fracture care for an open scapula fracture, and our coder automatically assigned the open fracture care code, but I didn't think open fractures always required open treatment. Who is right? Answer: An open fracture (also referred to as a "compound fracture") occurs when a patient breaks his bone and the skin and has an open wound down to the fracture site. For such a fracture to the scapula, for example, you'd report 811.1x...

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