Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

Question: We used to report 368.8 (Other specified visual disturbances) as the primary diagnosis when patients would present with glare sensitivity under ICD-10, but now we aren’t sure what to report, since there isn’t an exact crosswalk. Is H53.8 (Other visual disturbances) our best bet?

Codify Subscriber

Answer: You should only report H53.8 as a primary diagnosis code when the doctor doesn’t find a more definitive diagnosis during the course of the visit. Many carriers would see this as not medically necessary without further documentation.

Do this: Instead of reporting the general code, you should bill H53.71 (Glare sensitivity), which more accurately describes your patient’s condition. This code didn’t have a direct crosswalk under ICD-9, but this is an example of how much more descriptive ICD-10 is over the old diagnosis coding system.