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ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Question:

Coding From X-ray

Published on Thu Mar 01, 2001

Question: Is it appropriate to code from an x-ray if the examining physicians original diagnosis is not as specific as the x-ray findings? For example, the physician diagnoses an ankle sprain, yet the x-ray shows a fracture.

California Subscriber

Answer: In this situation, the ED physician would use code 845.0 (sprains and strains of ankle and foot; ankle) because the appropriate code is based on the information available at the time of the ED encounter.
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