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Orthopedic Coding Alert

ICD-10 Update:

Look for Underlying Etiology to Determine Chronic Gout Code in ICD-10

Published on Sun Jan 16, 2011

One ICD-9 code expands to five ICD-10 codes.When reporting gout as a cause of arthritis in 2013, you will need to look at the underlying cause of the gout, irrespective of the site involved, to pick up the right ICD-10 code. Here is how you will narrow down your choice from five available codes for chronic gout with tophi when the Oct. 1, 2013 deadline hits.Gout, essentially a disorder of uric acid metabolism, can progress to a chronic condition that affects joints. Arthritis is a common manifestation of gout due to deposition of urate crystals in the joints which lead to inflammation. "Gout is a form of arthritis of the joint that occurs due to high levels of uric acid in the blood. Elevated uric acid levels associated with gout attacks causes uric acid crystals to deposit in the synovial fluid of the joints and other soft tissues," says Kristi [...]
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