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"Patient is brought to the ED with right and left ankle fractures. Applying the coding concepts from ICD-10-CM guidelines I.B.12 and LB.13, which ICD-10-CM code selection should you report?

A. S82.841D
B. S82.843A, S82.843S
C. 382.891A, S82.892A
D. S82.899A"

User Amit Kotha
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

C. 382.891A, S82.892A The correct ICD-10-CM codes for a patient with bilateral ankle fractures are S82.891A for the right ankle and S82.892A for the left ankle, indicating initial encounters for these injuries.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the proper selection of ICD-10-CM codes for a patient with right and left ankle fractures, considering the guidelines I.B.12 and I.B.13 from the ICD-10-CM coding manual. When coding multiple injuries, each injury should be coded separately. For the patient with bilateral ankle fractures, you would need to assign individual codes for each ankle. The correct code selection would reflect the fact that the patient has fractures on both the right and left sides. ICD-10-CM code S82.841D denotes a nondisplaced bimalleolar fracture of the right ankle, subsequent encounter for a closed fracture with routine healing, which is not completely descriptive of the case as it does not address the left ankle fracture.

Options B and D include diagnosis codes not pertinent to the documented injuries (S82.843A, S82.843S, and S82.899A). The correct answer, therefore, is option C, which correctly assigns separate codes for fractures of the right and left ankles: S82.891A for the right ankle fracture, initial encounter, and S82.892A for the left ankle fracture, initial encounter, following the ICD-10-CM guidelines for coding multiple injuries. Based on the given information and applying the coding concepts from ICD-10-CM guidelines I.B.12 and LB.13, the correct ICD-10-CM code selection for the patient's right and left ankle fractures would be S82.843A for the right ankle fracture and S82.843S for the left ankle fracture.

User Jeff Putz
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