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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

729.1 Is Your Best Bet for Myofascial Pain

Published on Wed Jun 24, 2009

Question: What diagnosis should I use for myofascial pain or myofascial discomfort? South Carolina Subscriber Answer: The ICD-9 index for "Pain, muscle" directs you to 729.1 (Myalgia and myositis, unspecified), so that should be your first consideration. Depending on your neurosurgeon's documentation, however, you might be able to submit a diagnosis that's more specific to the patient's pain, such as 724.2 (Lumbago), if the physician states that the patient's pain is in the lower back region. -- Technical and coding guidance for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Gregory Przybylski, MD, director of neurosurgery at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center in Edison.
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