ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Be ready if the physician has not assigned a specific burn location OK, you-ve read the primer on burn diagnosis coding for ED patients. Now it's time to put that knowledge to work, before you have to code it for real on a burn treatment claim. Review these coding scenarios, and see if you can come up with the correct diagnosis code(s) for each one before checking out the answers on page 53. 1. The adult patient has a third-degree burn on her right hand, which covers 1 percent of the total body surface area. 2. The patient has a first-degree burn on her right arm and a second-degree burn on her right cheek; there is no mention of third-degree burn. 3. A small child has second-degree burns on his right hand, and third-degree burns to both sides of his face. Notes indicate that 11 percent of the body surface area has third-degree burns.
4. The physician does not specify burn location or severity, but the notes indicate that the patient suffered burns to 22 percent of his body with no mention of third-degree burns. 5. The encounter notes only indicate that the patient had second-degree burns; there is no documentation explaining the location or extent of the burn injuries.