Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Degenerative myopia, siderosis diagnoses will specify affected eye.

In our last issue, we examined how the ICD-10 switchover would affect diagnosis coding for conditions found under “Disorders of the Globe” (see “Zoom In on H44 Codes for Endophthalmitis, Other Disorders of Globe” in Ophthalmology Coding Alert Vol. 18 No. 3). In this issue, we’ll look at how degenerative disorder of the globe diagnosis will change this October.

In addition to ICD-10’s customary expansion of the code sets to include specificity – e.g., different codes describing whether the right, left, both, or an unspecified eye is affected – note that the new diagnosis codes change some terminology – for example, the “Other metallosis of globes” code uses the term “chalcosis” instead.

Get ready: For more information on the ICD-10 conversion, as well as specific ICD-9 to ICD-10 code bridges, visit https://www.aapc.com/codes/.