Displ osteochon fx l patella, 7thM

This code describes a specific type of knee injury involving a displaced fracture of both cartilage and underlying bone in the left kneecap. It indicates that the fracture is an open fracture (meaning the skin was broken) of either Type I or Type II severity, and that the bone fragments have failed to heal properly after initial treatment.

This code is used for follow-up encounters when a patient with a previously diagnosed displaced osteochondral fracture of the left patella, which was an open Type I or II fracture, is presenting with evidence of nonunion. This would typically be documented after initial treatment and when the fracture site has not shown expected signs of healing.

• Ensure documentation clearly specifies "displaced" and "osteochondral" for the patellar fracture.
• Verify the encounter is for a "subsequent encounter" and that "nonunion" is explicitly documented.
• Confirm the original injury was classified as an "open fracture type I or II" to support the specificity of this code.