Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: We had a patient present recently that our physician diagnosed as Cohen's Syndrome. I'm not sure where to find information on this condition. What diagnosis codes should I use? Ohio Subscriber Answer: You will need to look through your neurologist's documentation to pick up the patient's signs and symptoms of Cohen's Syndrome. Common characteristics include reduced muscle tone, also known as hypotonia (359.0, Muscular dystrophies and other myopathies), developmental delays (314.x, Hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood), intellectual disabilities (317, Mild mental retardation " 319, Unspecified mental retardation), small head size (742.1), and obesity (278.0x). The 2010 ICD-9 Guidelines have a new directive regarding coding for syndromes: "Follow the Alphabetic Index guidance when coding syndromes. In the absence of index guidance, assign codes for the documented manifestations of the syndrome."