ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0QS706Z

Reposition Upper Femur, Left to No Qualifier with Internal Fixation Device, Intramedullary, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemQ Lower Bones
OperationS Reposition
Body Part7 Upper Femur, Left
Approach0 Open
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

Reposition procedures move a lower bone, or a fragment of one, from an abnormal location to its correct anatomical position, or to another location that will let it function properly. This is the category most fracture reductions fall into, along with corrective osteotomies performed to realign a bone that has healed crookedly or grown abnormally, and procedures that move a bone segment to a new site for reconstructive purposes.

These operations address displaced fractures of the pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, patella, or foot bones, as well as deformities such as a bowed tibia or a malaligned metatarsal that needs to be cut and shifted into better alignment. Fixation devices like plates, screws, rods, or external fixators are frequently used alongside the repositioning to hold the bone in its new location while it heals.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Upper Femur, Left

The left upper femur, including the femoral head, neck, and trochanters, is the proximal thighbone segment that forms the ball of the hip joint and carries substantial mechanical stress. Reposition corrects displaced fractures of the femoral neck or trochanteric region, or reduces a dislocated hip, by moving the bone back into its normal position relative to the acetabulum. The tenuous retrograde blood supply along the femoral neck makes this an anatomically sensitive area, and repositioning must be performed with attention to minimizing additional vascular disruption. As on the right, the code for reposition applies to the bone movement itself, separate from any internal fixation hardware placed afterward to maintain the reduction.

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: 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

The operative note needs to document that a bone or bone fragment was moved to a different position, whether by closed manipulation or open surgical exposure, and should specify any fixation device left in place, since that device is captured as a separate value on the same code rather than a separate procedure. Coders must distinguish open versus percutaneous versus external approaches carefully, as this changes the approach value substantially. A common mistake is coding a simple cast application or splinting as Reposition when no manipulation of bone position actually occurred, and another is failing to capture the device value when hardware is placed during the same reduction.

Commonly Confused With

RepairRepair is the main point of confusion, since both can appear in fracture care documentation; Repair applies only when no formal repositioning or fixation of a fragment takes place.
FusionFusion is distinct because it targets a joint to eliminate motion permanently, while Reposition preserves the bone's normal mobility once healed.
DivisionDivision is sometimes confused with corrective osteotomy, but Division simply separates bone without relocating it, whereas Reposition requires the fragment to be moved to a new, more functional position.