Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Our Blue Cross carrier denied our claim with diagnoses 847.0, 307.87 and 346.0; the carrier says we submitted an invalid, noncovered code. How else could I have reported the patient's neck pain? Massachusetts Subscriber Answer: When you report 847.0 (Sprains and strains of other and unspecified parts of back; neck), you should also include a date of injury and an E code to explain how the injury occurred (such as E813.x, Motor vehicle traffic accident involving collision with other vehicle). Code 346.00 (Classical migraine; without mention of intractable migraine) is a valid code, so you should be fine submitting it, but be aware that 346.0 needs a fifth digit. ICD-9 does not include diagnosis 307.87 but does include 307.81 (Tension headache); that might be the incorrect code the carrier referenced. Check the documentation because the incorrect diagnosis you submitted might be due to a simple keying error.