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Anesthesia Coding Alert

2 Steps TakeYou Beyond NOS Headache for Migraines

Published on Thu Apr 02, 2009

Home in on the right 346.x family using these vocab basics. Don't let migraines' five subcategories and 30 codes suck you into opting for the lower paying generic headache code. To stop relying on 784.0 (Headache) and assign more specific migraine codes whenever possible, identify the correct subcategory. Then, focus on two words to pind own the final fifth digit. Here's how. Step 1: ID Your Migraine Family Use Symptoms to Code Migraine With Aura You'll be in the 346.0x (Migraine with aura) family if you find these details that indicate a migraine with aura or "classic migraine." An aura is a warning symptom that precedes a migraine attack. Auras are characterized by visual symptoms, such as blind spots, flashes of light, and other visual distortions. Often, they also include motor weakness, paresthesia, or aphasia. Change to 346.1x for Migraine Without Aura Switch to a fourth digit of 1 for [...]
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