ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0QH83DZ

Insertion Femoral Shaft, Right to No Qualifier with External Fixation Device, Hybrid, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemQ Lower Bones
OperationH Insertion
Body Part8 Femoral Shaft, Right
Approach3 Percutaneous
DeviceD External Fixation Device, Hybrid
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Putting in a nonbiological appliance that monitors, assists, performs, or prevents a physiological function but does not physically take the place of a body part

Procedure Overview

Insertion procedures place a nonbiological device into a lower bone to monitor, assist, or support it, without taking the place of any bone tissue. Common examples include implanting a bone growth stimulator, placing radiographic markers, or inserting fixation hardware such as pins or screws for stabilization when no fracture is being actively repaired at that session.

These devices support healing or diagnosis over time rather than immediately fixing a structural problem, so patients often keep them in place for weeks or months, with follow-up imaging or visits to track progress.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Femoral Shaft, Right

The right femoral shaft is the long diaphyseal segment of the thighbone between the proximal and distal metaphyses, a common site for intramedullary rod placement when insertion is used to describe a device left in the canal without accompanying fracture reduction. This body part is notable for its thick cortical bone and central medullary cavity, which can accommodate rods, stimulators, or radioactive sources placed for therapeutic purposes such as promoting union in a nonunion or delivering localized treatment. Because the shaft is the most common site of femoral fracture from high-energy trauma, coders must differentiate insertion of a stabilizing or monitoring device from the fixation and reduction procedures typically documented alongside diaphyseal fracture repair, which fall under different root operations.

Approach: Percutaneous

Percutaneous describes entry by needle or instrument puncture through the skin or mucous membrane to reach the site of the procedure, without cutting the tissue open or using a visualizing scope. It differs from Open in that the site itself is never exposed, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic in that no endoscope is used to see internal structures. Common examples include needle biopsies and injections.

Device: External Fixation Device, Hybrid

A hybrid external fixation device combines ring and monoplanar (linear) components within a single frame, allowing different fixation strategies at different levels of the same limb, such as ring fixation near a joint and linear fixation along the shaft. It is distinguished from pure ring or pure monoplanar frames by this mixed construction.

Coding & Documentation

This code family applies when a device is put into the bone and nothing about the bone itself is being cut, repaired, or realigned in that same procedure. Documentation should name the specific device and confirm it isn't replacing a body part. A frequent misstep is coding insertion when hardware is placed during an active fracture reduction or fusion - in those cases the device placement is typically captured within the reduction or fusion code rather than as a separate insertion, and coding both can result in overcoding. Insertion is coded separately when the device placement is the entire purpose of the encounter, such as a later-stage stimulator implant.

Commonly Confused With

Insertion is most often confused with Replacement, which physically substitutes for bone tissue (such as a joint prosthesis) rather than simply adding a device alongside it, and with the device-placement component bundled into Reposition or Fusion procedures, where hardware is incidental to the primary root operation rather than the reason for the encounter.