Health Information Management

Tip: Learn new ICD-10-CM documentation requirements for pathologic fractures

APCs Weekly Monitor, July 15, 2011

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to APCs Weekly Monitor!

A pathologic fracture is a broken bone caused by disease. ICD-10-CM expands code selection for this types of fracture to more than 150 codes. In ICD-9-CM, coders may select from only eight codes.

With the advent of ICD-10, pathologic fracture documentation and coding will need to include:

  • Exact location of fracture
    • Site
    • Laterality
  • Etiology of fracture
    • Osteoporosis
    • Neoplastic disease
  • Encounter type
    • Initial encounter
    • Subsequent encounter
    • Subsequent encounter with delayed healing

If a patient has osteoporosis and a fracture without a fall, the fracture is often assumed to be pathologic.

The tip is adapted from “ICD-10-CM prep: Determine documentation trouble spots” in the June issue of Briefings on APCs.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to APCs Weekly Monitor!

Most Popular

Related Articles