Stress fracture, left humerus, subs for fx w delay heal

This code signifies a stress fracture affecting the left humerus that is currently undergoing treatment for delayed healing. A stress fracture is a small crack in a bone, often caused by repetitive stress or overuse, rather than a single traumatic event. Delayed healing indicates that the fracture is taking longer than expected to unite.

This code is appropriate for follow-up encounters where a patient is receiving ongoing care for a previously diagnosed stress fracture of the left humerus that is not healing at the anticipated rate. Documentation should clearly state "delayed healing" or similar terminology, along with the specific location and type of fracture. This code is used after the initial treatment phase.

• Ensure documentation explicitly states "delayed healing" for the left humeral stress fracture; otherwise, a routine subsequent encounter code might be more appropriate.
• Confirm laterality (left humerus) is clearly documented to avoid miscoding.
• Always sequence this code after any associated external cause codes, if applicable, for the original injury.