Coding fractures in ICD10
Coding instructions
- There are two main categories of fractures: (a) due to trauma/injury, and (b) nontraumatic fractures
Fractures due to trauma or injury
- For fractures due to external causes i.e. trauma or injury, there are a number of specific codes identifying the bone in question.
- Some of these are quite specific for the bone, e.g: Femur, fracture, injury/trauma
- Others identify a group of bones, e.g: Ankle or foot or toes, fracture, injury/trauma
- And some for when you only know the general region, e.g: Upper limb (arm) bones, level not specified/NOS, fracture, injury/trauma
- For all such fractures, you MUST also code the mechanism of traumatic injury.
- If the mechanism of trauma is unknown or not among those listed, use Mechanism of injury: other NOS
Nontraumatic fractures
- Here there are fewer codes, and the only bones that have specific codes are femur/pelvis and vertebrae. Nontraumatic fractures fall into 4 main subcategories:
- 1) Pathologic fractures due to neoplastic disease
- 2) Pathologic fractures due to osteoporosis
- 3) Stress fractures -- note here we have just one code, not special codes for specific bones
- 4) Nontraumatic fractures NOS
- Femur or pelvis, nontraumatic fracture NOS
- Vertebrae, nontraumatic fracture NOS
- Bone NOS, nontraumatic fracture NOS
- Vertebra, collapsed (compression fracture, wedge fracture) -- these are a specific pattern of nontraumatic vertebral fracture, and this code is if that pattern is NOT due to osteoporosis.
- Also sometimes relevant will be: Bone, disorder of bone continuity NOS
you should also code the cause, e.g: