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Orthopedic Coding Alert

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Commit to New Radius, Ulna Torus Fracture Codes by Oct. 1

Published on Sat Jul 04, 2009

No longer will you look to 832.0 for nursemaids elbow. Does your orthopedist treat childrens arm problems with regularity? If so, then you may have three new ICD-9 codes to use as of Oct. 1. Take advantage of this sneak peak of the proposed orthopedic additions, and youll be ahead of your peers. Benefit: Most of the new codes will offer additional specificity to existing diseases, which can help you code more accurately. Any time we get diagnosis codes that provide additional specificity, I think that is great, says Marvel J. Hammer, RN, CPC, CCS-P, PCS, ACS-PM, CHCO, of MJH Consulting in Denver. Orthopedic coders, however, had hoped for a wider range of codes, says Leslie A. Follebout, CPC, COSC, PCS, coding manager at Peninsula Orthopaedic Associates in Salisbury, Md. For instance, you may not celebrate the addition of fifth digits to existing codes 274.0 (Gouty arthropathy) and 453.8 (Other [...]
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