Hook The Correct Code for Lens Subluxation
Question: A patient presented to urgent care following an injury during a boxing training session. The patient was struck in the left eye by an opponent and was experiencing blurred vision. An ophthalmologist performed a physical examination and a slit lamp test to evaluate the patient’s eyes. The physician diagnosed the patient with lens subluxation of the left eye. What diagnosis codes should I report? Minnesota Subscriber Answer: Use H27.112 (Subluxation of lens, left eye) to report the lens subluxation of the left eye diagnosis. Subluxation of the lens is when the lens of the eye is partially displaced from its natural position. Traumatic lens subluxation occurs when the patient sustains an injury to the eye and the lens is displaced. In your case, the patient was struck by their opponent while boxing. Activity code: Depending on the payer, you may be required to include an external cause of injury code to show what occurred that led to the injury. The ICD-10-CM code set contains several codes related to a patient being struck by another person, but those codes are typically associated with assault or a homicide attempt. However, in this case, the patient participated in an activity where being hit by another individual is expected. Assign W21.89XA (Striking against or struck by other sports equipment, initial encounter) to report the boxing-related injury. The patient and their opponent were most likely wearing boxing gloves, which fall under the “other sports equipment” portion of the descriptor. Mike Shaughnessy, BA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
