123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Health >> View Article

Pain Management Coding: Do Injury Codes Apply To Pain?

Profile Picture
By Author: erinarticle
Total Articles: 106
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share

You could be using the wrong code if you are not aware what differentiates an acute condition from a chronic one, or how many diagnosis codes you can report. Here's a common question to help your pain management coding (ICD-9).


When can you report an acute injury ICD-9 code rather than a chronic injury code? We tend to patients for generalized pain (not necessarily a recent injury) and are not sure what to code.


Answer: While coding some conditions like kidney disease (584.x and 585.x), often you can easily figure out when the patient's condition is chronic since the diagnosis codes differ based on the patient's lab results. However, coding for pain can be trickier.


Here's an instance: Think that your patient presents with shoulder pain, which came on slowly, that she says she has had for the last nine months. You can think about 840.4; however it is from ICD-9's "injury" chapter. In this instance, the patient did not have an injury; in its place she had nine months of ...
... pain. As such, you should stay away from 840.4 and choose another code based on the rest of your physician's documentation. Most likely you'd look for notes pertaining to the patient's signs and/or symptoms, such as 719.41 if your provider hasn't determined what is causing the patient's shoulder pain and hasn't given a definitive diagnosis. Once a definitive diagnosis has been reached, you no longer need to code the symptoms.


Here's why: Generally acute pain results from disease, surgery, inflammation, or injury. The pain happens to be immediate and normally short-lived. By comparison, chronic pain can originate with an initial trauma or injury however continues beyond the time for normal healing. Many practices use the ‘three months or longer' guideline for coding chronic pain conditions in comparison to acute problems. "A definitive guideline has not been addressed by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid; but it has identified coverage of electrical stimulation for chronic wounds as ‘longer than one month'.


Bottom line: You should leave the determination of acute versus chronic to the physician. If an ICD-9 or CPT code compels you to differentiate between whether the patient's condition is acute or chronic, show both descriptors to the pain specialist and ask him to take a stance.


ICD-9 includes code family 338.xx for acute and chronic pain diagnoses. However, as per Section 1.B.6 of the ICD-9 Guidelines, do not assign codes from category 338.xx if you don't have an "acute" or "chronic" distinction. The sole exception to this guideline lie with post-thoracotomy pain, postoperative pain, neoplasm related pain, or central pain syndrome. If acute or chronic is not specified, you need to look elsewhere for the code.


For more on this and for other specialty-specific articles to assist your pain management coding, sign up for a good medical coding resource like Coding Institute.

Total Views: 367Word Count: 477See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Health Articles

1. What Is Adhd? Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Author: Anand Healthcare and Rehab Centre

2. Comprehensive Dental Care For Every Smile In New Zealand
Author: Royal Oak Dental

3. Advantage To Get The Best Lasik Eye Surgery In Dombivli, Kalyan, Thane & Badlapur
Author: Anil Eye Hospital

4. Balancing Mind, Body & Reproductive Health Through Ayurvedic Treatment For Fertility
Author: Aasha Ayurveda

5. Buy Nervigesic 300mg In Australia: Effective Relief For Nerve And Muscle Pain
Author: josephine

6. Hospital Beds Market 2025-2035: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, And Growth Forecast
Author: Ajay M

7. Family Law Vs Divorce Law In Singapore: What’s The Difference?
Author: Singapore Sole Parent

8. Step-by-step Process Of Altruistic Surrogacy For Intended Parents
Author: Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour

9. What Is Budder Concentrate? A Beginner’s Guide To This Smooth Cannabis Extract
Author: Jacob william

10. Start Reducing Weight After Having A Consultation With Professionals
Author: Alexis Pelloe

11. Capstar For Dogs And Cats: Fast Relief From Fleas
Author: VetSupply

12. What Is Advantix For Dogs?
Author: VetSupply

13. How To Choose The Right Dentist For Dental Implants?
Author: elitedental

14. Top Characteristics Of Leading Medical Billing Companies
Author: Meenu

15. Discover Chennai’s Best Children’s Hospitals For Your Child
Author: prasanth

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: