Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: One of our coders says we can no longer report diagnosis 333.7. What should we report instead?


Kansas Subscriber

Answer: ICD-9 2007 adds fifth-digit specificity to 333.7x (Acquired torsion dystonia). Your new choices for dystonia coding are 333.71 (Athetoid cerebral palsy), 333.72 (Acute dystonia due to drugs) and 333.79 (Other acquired torsion dystonia).

Rationale: ICD-9 created these sub-codes to help physicians report more specific diagnoses. How often you rely on each of the new codes will depend on your patient population.

Clinical and coding expertise for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions  provided by Neil Busis, MD, chief of the division of neurology and director of the neurodiagnostic laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center at Shadyside, and clinical associate professor in the department of neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, CodeRyte Inc. coding analyst and coding review teacher.