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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Neurosurgery Coding:

Use Combo Codes to Reduce Dx Coding Burden

Published on Fri Aug 29, 2025

Question: An established patient reports to the practice with a diagnosis of right-sided sciatica and lumbago. The surgeon spends 22 minutes providing evaluation and management (E/M) services to the patient. What pair of diagnosis codes should I report for this encounter? I was thinking M54.31 and M54.50. Iowa Subscriber Answer: You should not report M54.31 (Sciatica, right side) and M54.50 [...]
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