Internal Medicine Coding Alert

Reader Question ~ Check With Payer for FB Sensation Diagnosis

Check With Payer for FB Sensation Diagnosis

Question: A new patient reports to the internist complaining of throat pain. The internist makes a diagnosis of foreign-body sensation in the throat. Is there a diagnosis code for foreign-body sensation in the throat?

North Dakota Subscriber

Answer: Because there is no exact ICD-9 code to match foreign-body (FB) sensation in the throat, you should choose from a pair of diagnosis codes that closely match the symptoms of FB sensation.

The two ICD-9 codes that most closely resemble your patient's symptoms are:

• 784.1 -- Throat pain

• 784.99 -- Other symptoms involving head and neck.

Which code you choose will probably depend on the payer's preference. If you don't know your payer's policy on diagnosis coding for FB sensation in the throat, contact a representative to make sure.