Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

New diagnosis codes break condition down by left, right, both or unspecified eyes.

When the ICD-10 revolution comes this October, it will start changing your ophthalmological diagnosis coding right at the start of the current “Disorders of the Eye and Adnexa” codes in ICD-9: the 360.xx (Disorders of the globe) series.

Changes: Although disorders of the globe lead of the eye diagnoses in ICD-9, they appear in ICD-10’s H44 (Disorders of globe) section, toward the middle of the code set. As with many of the diagnosis codes for eye conditions, ICD-10 adds specific codes for which eye (right, left, both, or unspecified) is affected. The parasitic endophthalmitis codes go even further in specifying which part of the eye (e.g., iris or retina) is affected.

Below is a look at how the 360.0x (Purulent endophthalmitis) and 360.1x (Other endophthalmitis) codes will change under ICD-10; future issues will review the changes to other disorders of the globe codes.

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/.