by Dianna Foley, RHIA, CHPS, CCS, CDIP
Test your ICD-10-CM coding skills with this Klutz family experience.
One evening the entire Klutz family went bowling at the local Bowl-a-Rama. As we all know by now, Klutz family outings often end up with someone getting hurt. Let’s see how they all fare after a night of bowling.
Little Dana kicked things off when she actually kicked her bowling ball down the lane. The ball was so heavy she stubbed her right great toe which bruised. There were a few tears and it hurt for a bit, but a strawberry milkshake put a smile back on her face.
Next, it was Raymond’s turn to try his luck. He ran up to the foul line and his momentum carried him right across the line causing him to slide on the lane’s slippery surface. He ended up falling awkwardly, striking his left elbow on the hardwood lane floor. Mrs. Klutz checked him over and while a bruise was already starting on the left elbow, the rest of Raymond seemed fine. He joined Little Dana on the bench, with a chocolate milkshake of his own, to watch how the rest of the bowlers would do.
Peter, who hated wearing socks, slid his bare feet into the bowling shoes he’d been given and took his ball from the rack. He approached the foul line and released his ball, which made it halfway down the lane before curving into the gutter. He joined his siblings on the bench with a vanilla milkshake. Later that week, Peter’s feet began itching and were red. He showed his feet to his Mom who was sure he had athlete’s foot that he got wearing the bowling shoes without socks. The family doctor recommended an ointment to be used and within two weeks, Peter’s feet were better.
Janine’s bowling attempt ran into difficulty when her thumb got stuck in the ball as she tried to release it. This caused her right thumb to be sprained. She took a seat on the bench with a Creamsicle milkshake.
Egon was the last child to bowl. He had good form and sent the ball right down the middle of the lane. All the pins fell. A strike! As Egon was celebrating by jumping up and down, he landed awkwardly on his left ankle. He hobbled to the bench with his sprained ankle and his youngest brother, Raymond, went to the service area to get his big brother his favorite milkshake, salted-caramel pretzel.
Mrs. Klutz was beginning her turn, and just as she pulled her arm back in preparation for her release, the ball went sailing behind her and hit Mr. Klutz in the left shin. Like Raymond, he quickly developed a bruise but otherwise was unharmed. However, he did forfeit his turn to bowl since his leg was very sore. Mr. and Mrs. Klutz joined their children on the bench with their own milkshakes, both pistachio.
After another round of bowling, where thankfully no further injuries emerged, Mrs. Klutz drove the family home. Everyone was glad for such minor injuries, at least for now, and looked forward to another trip to the Bowl-a-Rama in the future.
