Wiki Air Ambulance Coding of injuries vs pain

[jjsmith1985]

I have an interesting question, so as air ambulance coders we see scene calls, where our flight crews pick up patients from areas the accidents or symptoms occur. In regards to the traumas, MVA for example. if the patient is complaining of head pain with loss of consciousness, leg pain, chest pain, hip pain, etc. would you code the injury to the location or the pain codes to the location? i.e. s29.9xxa vs R079, S069x9a vs R51.9, etc etc.. Thank you in advance for your feedback on this

 

[vinessachilders]

Typically the injury would be associated with pain, so I would code the injury and not the symptom of pain.

It's similar to coding for a condition like influenza. You wouldn't code influenza as well as cough and fever, as those symptoms are part of the course of the condition.
See:

https://www.aafp.org/journals/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/coding_without_diagnosis.html

"If the signs and symptoms are associated routinely with a disease process, do not assign codes for them unless otherwise instructed by the classification."