Orthopedic Coding Alert

Look for site specific codes and include psychological factors. G89 (Pain, not elsewhere classified) is a broad category and learning how to apply these codes is the key to getting your pain diagnoses correct when ICD-10 goes into effect in 2013. Crucial: Be selective in reporting the codes from the G89 category. These codes are never assigned if the definitive diagnosis is established. The only exception is when the reason for the encounter is pain control and not the management of the underlying condition per se. See the examples below for orthopedic applications you may encounter: 1) If the orthopedic surgeon implants a neurostimulator for control of pain, you report the pain code as the principal or first-listed diagnosis.2) If the patient presents to the orthopedist for management of pain after a displaced intervertebral disc, you report G89 code and the underlying condition can be reported as an additional diagnosis. [...]