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Anesthesia Coding Alert

ICD-10:

Prepare Now to Separate 'Burns' from 'Corrosions'

Published on Wed Feb 15, 2012

ICD-10 will keep additional TBSA code.Coding burns based on body site and "degree" plus an additional code for total body surface area (TBSA) won't change when you start using ICD-10 in Oct. 2013. The new detail you'll include will be reporting the cause of the burn. ICD-10 Distinguishes Burn SourceUnder ICD-9, a burn is a burn. ICD-10 offers another option by giving you the choice of "corrosion," or chemical burn. Example: Let's say a patient has a second degree burn of the right thigh from accidentally spilling boiling water. Under ICD-9, you'd report the condition as 945.26 (Blisters with epidermal loss due to burn [second degree] of thigh [any part]). For ICD-10, you should list T24.211- (Burn of second degree of right thigh...). Notice that the ICD-10 descriptor includes "right" -- meaning that you'll want to remind providers that every detail counts when you're selecting the best diagnosis. Now let's say [...]
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