Orthopedic Coding Alert
Focus on Laterality for These Sciatica Equivalents
Don’t overlook this Excludes1 Note.
Sciatica means the patient presents with compression to the sciatic nerve. To report the correct code, you should specify where the sciatica is occurring.
ICD-9-CM Code: Currently, you report this condition with this code:
724.3, Sciatica
ICD-10-CM Code: When your diagnosis system changes, you will report instead:
What’s different: After October 1, 2015, you will need to report the sciatica code based on the side that it is occurring. You do have a code for unspecified, but you should always code to the highest specificity.
Documentation: Your orthopedist probably already specifies right or left, but now you have new codes to reflect that.
This is how you will locate your codes in the Alphabetical Index:
Sciatica
- wallet M54.3-
Coding Tips: You will see an Excludes1 note under the M54.3 (Sciatica) category stating you should not report these codes with lesion of sciatic nerve (G57.0), sciatica due to intervertebral disc disorder (M51.1-), or sciatica with lumbago (M54.4-).
Orthopedic Coding Alert
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