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Primary Care Coding Alert

Diagnosis Coding:

Tophi and Other Details Lead You to Correct Gout Choices

Published on Mon Feb 06, 2012

Heads up: ICD-10 will include many more options in 2013. A diagnosis of gout might seem simple enough to code, but a quick look at your ICD-9 choices shows more than 10 viable options. Ask your physician to provide details to help you pinpoint the correct code -- and to help prepare for ICD-10, when you'll have even more choices to consider. Is It Joint Pain, Arthritis, or Gout? Part of accurate coding includes understanding the conditions you're reporting. "Gout is a form of arthritis of the joint that occurs due to high levels of uric acid in the blood," says Kristi Stumpf, MCS-P, CPC, COSC, ACS-OR, owner of Precision Coding and Auditing and senior coder and auditor for The Coding Network in Washington. "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." Joints are [...]
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