Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Gout is a rheumatic disease caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in tissues and fluids within the body, which in turn is the result of high uric acid levels in the blood. The deposits known as tophus (plural: tophi) and you spot them as elevated lesions on the joint area. Acute gout typically presents as an acutely red, hot, and swollen joint with extreme pain.Recurrent episodes of acute gout can lead to a degenerative form of chronic arthritis called gouty arthritis.

Check out these gout types details and apply the new codes accurately with these definitions:

• Gouty arthropathy: This disease affects middleaged to elderly men and postmenopausal women.

• Acute gout: This is the initial early clinical manifestations of gouty arthropathy often described as severe joint pain and swelling.

• Chronic gout: This is the recurring form of gout involving one or several joints occasionally associated with the presence of tophaceous deposits.