Pathological fracture in oth disease, left shoulder, sequela

This code signifies a pathological fracture of the left shoulder that occurred due to an underlying disease process, and the patient is now experiencing a late effect or complication of that fracture. This is not an acute fracture, but rather a condition resulting from a previous pathological fracture.

Apply this code when documentation indicates a patient is presenting for treatment of a complication or residual effect stemming from a previously healed or treated pathological fracture of the left shoulder. This code is appropriate when the initial fracture event is no longer acute, and the current encounter addresses a sequela. Documentation should clearly state the pathological nature of the original fracture and the specific late effect being treated.

• Always sequence this code after the code for the underlying disease causing the pathological fracture, if applicable and still active.
• Ensure documentation specifies "left shoulder" and that the fracture is a "sequela" or "late effect" rather than an acute event.
• Differentiate from acute pathological fractures (M84.4-) and stress fractures (M84.3-), which do not represent sequelae.