Orthopedic Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Use NOS Code for Backache Dx

Question: If a patient is diagnosed with “backache” and there is no other information, how should I choose a diagnosis code for the condition?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: Your provider isn’t giving you much to go on with that diagnosis; fortunately, there is a code that represents this nebulous description: M54.9 (Dorsalgia, unspecified).

Although “backache” isn’t in the descriptor, the alternate terms below the descriptor list the following as codeable with M54.9:

  • Backache NOS
  • Back pain NOS.