Medical Billing Forum
Coding => Coding => : coder1013 June 27, 2016, 10:53:44 PM
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Patient has laceration of left lower leg from a saw accident, that was repaired a week ago. Returns to the ED with a hematoma to the lower part of the laceration. Would I report it as T79.8XXA?
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Is this by any chance for a homework assignment? I don't mind helping but I don't want to give advice on a real situation with the info below. It would be irresponsible of me to code based on that information. So if this is a hypothetical situation, wouldn't you use S80.12X* (A,D or S) as the primary diagnosis and maybe the T79.8XXA secondary? I'm not a certified coder but the S80.12X* code seems more specific to your situation described. But again, this is hypothetical based on the little info provided. If this were a real situation I would need access to the patient's chart to be able to answer.
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To add, most wound repair codes carry a 10 day global period, so if the original repair of the laceration was billed with a code that has a 10 day global period, a return visit 7 days later for a hematoma at the repair site would be considered a complication, and would not be billable to most insurances. That said, I agree with Michele...I would look at the S80.12X* codes first, based on the limited info you have provided.