Displ longitud fx unsp patella, subs for clos fx w nonunion

This code signifies a follow-up encounter for a patient who sustained a longitudinal fracture of the patella that was initially displaced. Crucially, the fracture has not healed as expected, indicating a nonunion, and the fracture site is currently managed as a closed injury.

This code is appropriate for documenting subsequent visits where a patient with a previously diagnosed displaced longitudinal patellar fracture is being evaluated for persistent nonunion, and there is no open wound communicating with the fracture site. This would include follow-up appointments for monitoring healing progress, planning further interventions for nonunion, or assessing the outcome of nonunion treatment.

• Ensure documentation clearly specifies "nonunion" and that the fracture is "closed" for accurate code assignment.
• Verify the fracture type is "longitudinal" and note the "unspecified patella" if laterality is not documented.
• This code is for subsequent encounters; an initial encounter for the same fracture would use a different code.