Orthopedic Coding Alert
Do You Know How to Report Olecranon Bursitis? Find Out
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Don’t miss these ‘Excludes’ notes.
Olecranon bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa, a tiny fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. Bursitis in the elbow can result from a sudden injury, or a continuous pressure over time such as leaning on a desk.
Most times it is caused by a small spur which has grown on the extraarticular, dorsal, surface of the olecranon, which is the point of the elbow.
Here’s how you should report this condition:
While you used to have one ICD-9 option for olecranon bursitis (726.33, Olecranon bursitis), ICD-10 gave you three more based on anatomical site (right elbow, left elbow, and unspecified).
Documentation: Your physician most likely already documents the side of the olecranon bursitis, so now have you a way of specifying this with a diagnosis code.
Although you have a code for unspecified, you should always code to the highest specificity.
Here is how you will find these codes in the Alphabetic Index:
Bursitis
- elbow NEC
- - olecranon M70.2-
Coder tips: Underneath the M70 category, you’ll find the following notations:
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