ICD 10 Coding Alert
Here's How to Capture Carpal Tunnel Coding With Your New Diagnosis System
Don’t miss this Excludes1 note under the G56 category.
When your orthopedist treats carpal tunnel syndrome, you now have several diagnosis options, based on the patient’s situation. Take a quick glance at how these diagnosis codes transitioned under ICD-10 back in October 2015.
When a patient suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), she has a compression neuropathy. This can cause paresthesia, pain, numbness, and other symptoms in the distribution of the median nerve possibly due to its compression at the wrist in the carpal tunnel.
Possibility 1: Previous ICD-9 code 719.4x (Pain in joint) became more specific in ICD-10 to indicate where the patient experiences pain in the wrist. The ICD-10 codes are as follows:
Possibility 2: Previous ICD-9 code 729.5 (Pain in limb) has become M79.6x (Pain in limb, hand, foot, fingers and toes …) and exploded with a range of options based on anatomic site. The extended codes provide you with 30 options, including right, left and unspecified sites of arm (M79.601-603); forearm (M79.631-632, 639); upper arm (M79.621-622, 629); hand (M79.641-43); fingers (M79.644-646); thigh (M79.651-52,659); leg (M79.604- 605); lower leg (M79.661-662,669); feet (M79.671-673); and toe (M79.674-76). You’ll report M79.609 for pain in an unspecified limb.
Possibility 3: Previous ICD-9 diagnosis 728.87 (Muscle weakness [generalized]) will be an easy one to remember because it retains the same descriptor with M62.81.
Final note: Under ICD-9, diagnosis 354.0 (Carpal tunnel syndrome) is coupled with mononeuritis of upper limb and mononeuritis multiplex. The ICD-10 system offers more clarity with separate codes for unspecified upper, right, and left limbs, as follows:
Coder tips: Under the G56 category, you’ll find an Excludes1 note that prevents you from reporting CTS with “current traumatic nerve disorder - see nerve injury by body region.”
Related Articles
ICD 10 Coding Alert
- Breaking News:
So Now You're Using ICD-10 -- Time to Look Forward to 2016 ICD-10 Ob-Gyn Changes
Avoid Z3A codes when patient has postpartum complication. You’ve studied and now transitioned to the [...] - Guidelines:
Watch Your Step When Assigning Diagnosis Codes for Falls
Read the rules about including Z codes describing a risk or history of falling. ICD-10 [...] - News You Can Use:
This Payer Identifies Issue with ICD-10 Code Z86.010
Here’s why you don’t need to take any action. Just one month after the ICD-10 [...] - Training:
Follow These Five Steps To Make Your Way To Correct Neoplasm Coding
The pathology report will guide you to the right code in the neoplasm table.. Coding [...] - Learn More with These Neoplasm Coding Examples
Here are some examples that will help you gain a better understanding of neoplasm coding. [...] - Otolaryngology:
Keep Your Epistaxis Coding Simple With a Single ICD-10 Choice
Remember you still have multiple procedure codes associated with diagnosis. Epistaxis – commonly known as [...] - Orthopedics:
Here's How to Capture Carpal Tunnel Coding With Your New Diagnosis System
Don’t miss this Excludes1 note under the G56 category.
When your orthopedist treats carpal [...] - Anesthesia:
Choose Between 2 Codes for Hysterectomy Diagnosis
Relax: The descriptors are already familiar. With approximately 20 CPT® codes addressing hysterectomy, coding for [...] - Reader Question:
Establish Medical Necessity for Screening Breast MRI
Question: How can we report a screening MRI? Our physician wants to schedule a breast MRI [...] - Reader Question:
Look for Related Conditions in Influenza Diagnosis
Question: How can we report the diagnosis of swine flu influenza in ICD-10-CM? Ohio Subscriber Answer: For [...]
