# Coding Traumatic Brain Injury



## rita.u@live.com (Apr 9, 2013)

Can I code a traumatic brain injury for post traumatic headache?  If not, what would a post traumatic headache code as.


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## vj_tiwari (Apr 10, 2013)

Hey 

As per Coding Clinic, Fourth Quarter 2008 Page: 102 to 109 Effective with discharges: October 1,2008 

**Question: A 23-year-old patient is seen in the physician's office with a diagnosis of post-traumatic headache due to a head injury sustained during a car accident several months ago. How should this be coded? 

*Answer: Assign code 339.20, Post-traumatic headache, unspecified, as the first-listed diagnosis. In addition, assign codes 907.0, Late effect of intracranial injury without mention of skull fracture, and E929.0, Late effects of motor vehicle accident, as additional diagnoses. 
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**Question: The patient was involved in a motor vehicle accident and was admitted to the hospital with a head injury and post-traumatic headache. Would it be appropriate to assign both the head injury code and the post injury headache code? How should this case be coded? 

*Answer: Assign code 959.01, Head Injury, unspecified, and code E819.9, Motor vehicle accident of unspecified nature, unspecified person. It would not be appropriate to assign code 339.21, Acute post-traumatic headache, during the acute illness phase (the head injury encounter). 

Hope this helps!!!

VJ


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