ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0QRM0KZ

Replacement Tarsal, Left to No Qualifier with Nonautologous Tissue Substitute, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemQ Lower Bones
OperationR Replacement
Body PartM Tarsal, Left
Approach0 Open
DeviceK Nonautologous Tissue Substitute
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Putting in or on biological or synthetic material that physically takes the place and/or function of all or a portion of a body part

Procedure Overview

Replacement procedures put in biological or synthetic material that physically takes over the role of all or part of a lower bone. This includes structural bone grafts, cadaver bone allografts, and synthetic bone substitutes used to rebuild a portion of the pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, or foot bones after tumor resection, severe trauma, or bone loss from infection.

These procedures are performed when a segment of bone is missing or so damaged that it can no longer support the body's structure or function on its own, and simply repairing or repositioning the remaining bone isn't enough. A patient who has had a tumor removed from the femoral shaft, for example, may need the resulting gap filled with a structural allograft to restore the bone's load-bearing capacity.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Tarsal, Left

The tarsal bones of the left foot, anchored by the talus and calcaneus and completed by the navicular, cuboid, and cuneiforms, form the arch and hindfoot structure that absorbs and redistributes weight-bearing forces during stance and push-off. Replacement of an individual tarsal bone is a relatively rare procedure, most often performed for advanced avascular necrosis of the talus, severe post-traumatic bone loss, or tumor involving the midfoot or hindfoot, using a custom-contoured prosthesis or bulk allograft matched to the specific bone's shape. Given the tight articular relationships among adjacent tarsals, restoring correct height and alignment is essential to prevent secondary deformity such as flatfoot collapse, and the specific tarsal bone involved should always be identified since the talus, calcaneus, and midfoot bones each carry distinct biomechanical roles.

Approach: Open

Open approach means the surgeon cuts through skin, mucous membrane, or other tissue layers to physically expose the target site to view before performing the procedure. It gives direct visualization and hands-on access, distinguishing it from Percutaneous approaches where instruments pass through a small puncture without exposing the site. Open is typical for procedures needing wide access, such as most laparotomies.

Device: Nonautologous Tissue Substitute

Nonautologous Tissue Substitute refers to biologic material sourced from a donor or another species, such as an allograft or xenograft, used to replace a body part. It differs from Autologous Tissue Substitute by tissue origin outside the patient's own body, and from Synthetic Substitute by being biologic rather than manufactured material.

Coding & Documentation

Documentation must describe material being put in that takes over the physical role of the bone segment - not material that merely reinforces existing bone, which would be Supplement instead. The type of graft or substitute material and the specific bone segment addressed both need to be clear in the operative note. A frequent error is coding Replacement when bone graft is used to fill a defect but the native bone structure is still largely intact and functional, which points toward Supplement rather than Replacement; another is confusing joint replacement procedures, which are coded to the Lower Joints body system, with bone-segment replacement coded here.

Commonly Confused With

SupplementSupplement is the closest and most frequently confused root operation, since both can involve grafting material into bone; the distinguishing factor is whether the material takes the place of a missing or resected bone segment (Replacement) or reinforces bone that is still structurally present (Supplement).
InsertionInsertion is distinct because it covers placing a device that doesn't physically substitute for bone tissue, such as a spacer.
RepositionReposition is unrelated in purpose, since it moves existing bone rather than replacing missing bone with new material.