Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Check out V80.01 and V80.09 for special screenings. The newest edition of ICD-9 changes goes into effect Oct. 1, so adjust your system to reflect some new diagnosis codes for special neurological screenings -- and one that's about to become invalid -- to keep your claims on par. Extend 'Other Conditions' Dx From 348.8 to 348.89 Diagnosis 348.8 (Other conditions of brain) will be invalid starting Oct. 1, but ICD-9 2010 introduces a new fifth-digit replacement: 348.89. The descriptor remains the same, so you'll be able to use it for the same circumstances as 348.8. "Something like flat EEG, brain death, or cerebral calcifications could be coded to 348.89," says Kathryn Gemmell, RHIT, in the physician coding department of Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa. You might also turn to 348.89 to show a brain problem not identified with a specific ICD-9 code, Gemmell adds. "I used the 348.8 often when there is [...]