Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Notes indicate that the provider saw a patient with “alcoholic encephalopathy.” I cannot find an ICD-10 code with this descriptor; can you help?

Utah Subscriber

Answer: You’ll assign a patient with alcoholic encephalopathy the G31.2 (Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol) diagnosis code.

Explainer: For diagnosis coding purposes, alcoholic encephalopathy is synonymous with Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol. According to ICD-10, you’ll report G31.2 if the provider notes any of the following conditions:

• Alcoholic cerebellar ataxia
• Alcoholic cerebellar degeneration
• Alcoholic cerebral degeneration
• Alcoholic encephalopathy
• Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system due to alcohol.