Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

With the new diagnosis codes officially in play, say goodbye to the 377.xx ICD-9 codes.

Welcome to October – and the new world of diagnosis coding with ICD-10. Over the past several months Ophthalmology Coding Alert has been sharing specifics of how your coding will change under the new coding system, which became effective Oct. 1.

The optic disc disorder codes follow a similar pattern that was evident in many of the other code crosswalks: Many codes gain sets will expand to show laterality (right, left, both, or unspecified eyes), but some, like the codes for papilledema with intracranial pressure changes, will undergo a simple one-to-one transition.

And some of the optic atrophy codes actually appear to become less specific, with three different ICD-9 diagnoses being grouped within one ICD-10 series. Read on for details on how you should be coding optic disc diagnoses, this month and beyond.

Resource: 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/ .