Wiki Coding an MVC

[bpollard@bondclinic.com]

I have a patient who came to the ED after being in a MVC on 12/16/14 and then returned on 12/26/14 with a cold and minor back pain. This patient has a history of back pain but is stating the pain was aggrevated by the MVC. Should the account be coded with an E-code?

 

[mitchellde]

I have a patient who came to the ED after being in a MVC on 12/16/14 and then returned on 12/26/14 with a cold and minor back pain. This patient has a history of back pain but is stating the pain was aggrevated by the MVC. Should the account be coded with an E-code?

The physician must document that the back pain is a result of the injuries and whether it is acute or chronic. If this is documented then use the 338 code for acute/chronic pain due to trauma, plus the appropriate 905 code for late effect of injury. For ICD-9 we do not use External cause codes for late effects.

 

[bpollard@bondclinic.com]

Perfect! Exactly what I needed to know. Thank you for the quick reply!