Nondisp seg fx shaft of unsp tibia, 7thN

This code describes a situation where a patient has a fracture in the shaft of their tibia that is broken into at least three pieces (segmental) and the broken ends are still aligned (nondisplaced). Crucially, this fracture was initially an open fracture of a severe type (IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC), and despite previous treatment, the bone has failed to heal properly (nonunion).

Use this code for follow-up encounters when a patient with a previously treated severe open segmental tibial shaft fracture (types IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC) is presenting with evidence of nonunion. This applies when the fracture remains nondisplaced and the focus of the encounter is on managing the ongoing nonunion.

• Ensure documentation clearly specifies "segmental" and "nondisplaced" for the tibial shaft fracture.
• Verify the original injury was an open fracture type IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC, and that nonunion is explicitly documented.
• This code is for subsequent encounters; an initial encounter for this specific nonunion would use a different code.