A wound-care clinic documents a pressure ulcer of the sacrum, stage 3. Which coding requirement applies?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Pressure ulcers want a street address and a stage number. Sacrum plus stage 3 means you code that site and that stage—don't shrug into 'abrasion' or invent stage 4.
Full Explanation
Pressure ulcer codes require documentation of site and stage for complete code assignment. When a sacral stage 3 pressure ulcer is documented, coding should reflect both the anatomical site and stage 3. Unspecified abrasion coding, automatic upstaging to stage 4, or substituting non-pressure chronic ulcer codes when pressure etiology is stated are incorrect for physician-office wound-care claims.