Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

ICD-10 to introduce separate fibromyalgia, myalgia, and myositis codes. If your provider diagnoses a patient with fibromyalgia, your only code choice under ICD-9-CM is 729.1 (Myalgia and myositis, unspecified). That will change in October 2013 with the introduction of ICD-10 and three specific codes for those conditions: M60.9 -- Myositis, unspecified M79.1 -- Myalgia M79.7 -- Fibromyalgia. These conditions are characterized by muscle or musculoskeletal pain and soft tissue or muscle tenderness. Symptoms of varying intensities increase and decrease over time. Myositis -- Inflammation of skeletal muscles ("myo" means muscles and "-itis" is the suffix for inflammation). Injury, infection, or an autoimmune disease can cause myositis. Myalgia -- Muscle pain ("myo" is the root for muscle and "-algia" is the suffix for pain). Myalgia is a symptom of many condition and diseases. Fibromyalgia -- Muscle and fibrous connective tissue pain ("fibro" is the base for fibrous tissue and "myalgia" is muscle pain). Fibromyalgia is characterized by [...]