Eli's Rehab Report

Reader Question:

Arthritis with Underlying Cause

Published on Wed Aug 01, 2001

Question: How should I code for arthritis if an underlying cause is indicated (in this case, chondrocalcinosis of the shoulder) in the doctors notes?

Texas Subscriber

Answer: There are more than 100 types of arthritis, therefore coding for specific diagnoses with underlying causes can be tricky. But, in your case, you should list both diagnoses, with the underlying diagnosis listed first. You should use one of the codes for disorders of calcium metabolism, which are in the 275.4 series. Also, you should indicate a fifth digit for the underlying disease, as follows:

275.40 -- unspecified disorder of calcium metabolism
275.41 -- hypocalcemia
275.42 -- hypercalcemia
275.49 -- other disorders of calcium metabolism.

You should indicate the code identifying crystal-induced arthritis, which is in the 712.3 series, requiring a fifth digit to report the site. In this situation, it would be 712.31 for the shoulder.

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