ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0PSF36Z

Reposition Humeral Shaft, Right to No Qualifier with Internal Fixation Device, Intramedullary, Percutaneous Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemP Upper Bones
OperationS Reposition
Body PartF Humeral Shaft, Right
Approach3 Percutaneous
Device6 Internal Fixation Device, Intramedullary
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Moving to its normal location, or other suitable location, all or a portion of a body part

Procedure Overview

This family describes moving a bone of the skull, face, chest wall, or upper extremity back to its normal anatomic location, or to another location that will function better, without cutting the bone free and removing it from the body. It's the code family used for reducing a displaced fracture, correcting a malunion, or realigning a bone that has shifted out of its normal position due to trauma or a congenital condition.

The procedure preserves the bone's own blood supply and continuity while adjusting its position - fixation with pins, plates, or screws is often part of the same operative episode to hold the corrected alignment in place.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Humeral Shaft, Right

The right humeral shaft is the long cylindrical midsection of the upper arm bone, and its reposition is typically performed for displaced or angulated fractures resulting from direct trauma, torsional injury, or falls. The radial nerve winds around the shaft in the spiral groove, so realigning a fractured shaft carries inherent risk of nerve injury or entrapment between fragments, a consideration that shapes whether closed manipulation or open exposure is chosen. Because the shaft has substantial muscular attachments from the deltoid, biceps, and triceps that can distract fragments, achieving and maintaining length and rotational alignment can be technically demanding. Documentation should indicate the fracture pattern and whether reduction was achieved by closed manipulation or through surgical exposure, since this affects subsequent fixation coding.

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: Internal Fixation Device, Intramedullary

An intramedullary internal fixation device is a rod or nail inserted into the medullary canal of a long bone to stabilize a fracture from within, sharing load along the bone's central axis. It is distinguished from a rigid plate, which stabilizes the bone from its outer surface, and from the intramedullary limb lengthening variant, which adds a mechanism to gradually distract the bone.

Coding & Documentation

A coder looks for language describing realignment, reduction, or repositioning of a fragment or whole bone as the defining clue, distinguishing it from repair language about restoring damaged tissue in place. Fixation devices used to hold the new position should be captured through the device value on the same code rather than as a separate procedure when performed at the same operative site. A common error is coding an open reduction and internal fixation entirely as repair, missing that the reduction component is reposition while the fixation is captured through the device character. Another pitfall is failing to distinguish reposition from resection when a bone fragment is removed rather than realigned.

Commonly Confused With

RepairRepair is the family most often confused with reposition, since fracture care can involve both language and both may appear in the same operative note; the deciding factor is whether the fragment was moved to a new position (reposition) or a structural defect was simply fixed in place (repair).
ResectionResection is distinct in that it involves cutting a portion of bone out entirely rather than relocating it.