Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

738.4 splits into multiple diagnoses.

ICD-10 implementation in 2013 is coming fast, so take steps now to prepare. Each month, Neurology and Pain Management Coding Alert will highlight a common diagnosis code and how it might change with ICD-10.

Acquired spondylolysis is one condition you'll have many more options for with ICD-10.

• Current code: 738.4 (Acquired spondylolisthesis)
• ICD-10 changes: M43.0x offers options for various types of spondylolysis, and code family M43.1x addresses various spondylolisthesis diagnoses.

The current "catch-all" code 738.4 includes both degenerative spondylolisthesis and acquired spondylolysis. ICD-9 doesn't list separate codes for various spinal regions, which can keep your diagnosis selection from being as accurate as you might like. ICD-10 will help you choose more specific diagnoses. The fourth digit "0" or "1" differentiates between the two conditions (spondylosis and spondylolisthesis), and the fifth digit differentiates the anatomic spinal region or location:

• M43.x1 -- ... occipito-atlanto-axial region
• M43.x2 -- ... cervical region
• M43.x3 -- ... cervicothoracic region
• M43.x4 -- ... thoracic region
• M43.x5 -- ... thoracolumbar region
• M43.x6 -- ... lumbar region
• M43.x7 -- ... lumbosacral region
• M43.x8 -- ... sacrococcygeal region
• M43.x9 -- ... multiple sites.

Editor's note: If you'd like to learn more about a specific diagnosis, email editor Leigh DeLozier.