ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: Our ED physician performed a level-four E/M service; the notes read that the patient suffered from “facial palsy.” What is the correct ICD-10 code for this condition?

Nevada Subscriber

Answer: The provider seems to have used a synonym for Bell’s palsy in these notes. Check with the physician on whether the patient was suffering from Bell’s palsy. If so, on your 99284 (Emergency department visit for the evaluation and management of a patient, which requires these 3 key components…) claim, report G51.0 (Bell’s palsy) as a diagnosis.

In ICD-10, “facial palsy” is listed as a synonym for Bell’s palsy — at least for diagnosis coding purposes. Bell’s palsy is also sometimes known as “acute peripheral facial palsy of unknown cause,” per the Mayo Clinic.

Definition: “The symptoms of Bell’s palsy include sudden weakness in your facial muscles. In most cases, the weakness is temporary and significantly improves over weeks. The weakness makes half of your face appear to droop,” Mayo Clinic reports.

Be sure you don’t confuse a Bell’s palsy diagnosis with other facial nerve disorders, which include:

• G51.1 (Geniculate ganglionitis)
• G51.2 (Melkersson’s syndrome)
• G51.3- (Clonic hemifacial spasm)
• G51.4 (Facial myokymia)

That’s why it’s important to check with the physician before definitively applying the Bell’s palsy diagnosis code to your claim.