Query: Growth Plate Fracture Coding
I saw an 11 year old with a Salter Harris II
fracture of her distal tibia. I treated her by
closed reduction fracture care with no
manipulation due to minimal displacement. Are
there any specific diagnosis codes for this
growth plate fracture? Which procedure code would
I bill for this type of fracture care?
Mark Sturge, DPM
Miami, FL
Codingline Response: Based on your description, I
would take a look at codes, CPT 27750 (closed
treatment of tibial shaft fracture with or
without fibular fracture without manipulation) or
CPT 27824 (closed treatment of fracture of weight
bearing articular portion of distal tibia).
Since CPT 27824 is for a pilon or tibial plafond-
type of fracture, CPT 27750 may be more accurate
in this case - although both codes are for use
with tibial fractures.
There is no specific CPT code for treatment of
Salter fractures as CPT does not make a
distinction between pediatric or adult fractures.
So the diagnosis code could be either ICD-9
823.20 (fracture tibial shaft) or ICD-9 824.8
(fracture tibia, distal end).
Denise Paige, CPC
Long Beach, CA
