Wiki steroid injection (20610) for back pain (M54.50)

[madgejones10]

Have used 20610 (steroid injection) for diagnosis M54.50 (Low back pain) for several years and suddenly it is being denied. Am I missing something? Is there a better code?

 

[Orthocoderpgu]

Have used 20610 (steroid injection) for diagnosis M54.50 (Low back pain) for several years and suddenly it is being denied. Am I missing something? Is there a better code?

Payers are getting away from paying on "unspecified" codes, which is the entire reason we switched from ICD.9 to ICD.10 codes. Code M54.50 is an unspecified code. Codes M54.51 & M54.59 are more specific.

 

[thomas7331]

Have used 20610 (steroid injection) for diagnosis M54.50 (Low back pain) for several years and suddenly it is being denied. Am I missing something? Is there a better code?

What procedure is the provider doing here? 20610 is usually for joint pain (i.e. knee, hip, shoulder), not for back pain. Injections to the back are usually coded with other CPT codes.

 

[amyjph]

Have used 20610 (steroid injection) for diagnosis M54.50 (Low back pain) for several years and suddenly it is being denied. Am I missing something? Is there a better code?

Same question as Thomas - why would 20610 (ARTHROCENTESIS, ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION, MAJOR JOINT OR BURSA (EG, SHOULDER, HIP, KNEE, SUBACROMIAL BURSA); WITHOUT ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE) be used for anything related to the back? If this has been something you have been doing for years, you have a bigger problem.

 

[jkyles]

Have used 20610 (steroid injection) for diagnosis M54.50 (Low back pain) for several years and suddenly it is being denied. Am I missing something? Is there a better code?

Sorry, could you clarify - M54.50 went into effect Oct. 1, 2021. Do you mean you were using M54.5 and are now getting denials on M54.50?