Orthopedic Coding Alert

Your physician likely already documents the location.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs but mainly attacks flexible (synovial) joints.

ICD-9-CM Code: Currently, you will report this condition with 714.0 (Rheumatoid arthritis).

ICD-10-CM Codes: That changes after October 1, 2015. Your choices will expand as follows:

• M06.00, Rheumatoid arthritis without rheumatoid factor, unspecified site

• M06.011, ... right shoulder

• M06.012, ... left shoulder

• M06.019, ... unspecified shoulder

• M06.021, ... right elbow

• M06.022, ... left elbow

• M06.029, ... unspecified elbow

• M06.031, ... right wrist

• M06.032, ... left wrist

• M06.039, ... unspecified wrist

• M06.041, ... right hand

• M06.042, ... left hand

• M06.049, ... unspecified hand

• M06.051, ... right hip

• M06.052, ... left hip

• M06.059, ... unspecified hip

• M06.061, ... right knee

• M06.062, ... left knee

• M06.069, ... unspecified knee

• M06.071, ... right ankle and foot

• M06.072, ... left ankle and foot

• M06.079, ... unspecified ankle and foot

• M06.08, ... vertebrae

• M06.09, ... multiple sites.

ICD-10-CM Change: Whereas you have one code to reflect rheumatoid arthritis in ICD-9, your ICD-10 options expand to identify anatomical locations. They include shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankle and feet, vertebrae, and multiple sites. Although you do have unspecified codes, you should always code to the highest level of specificity.

Documentation: Your physician most likely already documents where the rheumatoid arthritis occurs, so now you have a way to reflect that in our code.

Here is how you will find these codes in the Alphabetic Index:

Arthritis, arthritic (acute) (chronic) (nonpyogenic) (subacute)

• rheumatoid

• seronegative M06.00

• ankle M06.07-

• elbow M06.02-

• foot joint M06.07-

• hand joint M06.04-

• hip M06.05-

• knee M06.06-

• multiple site M06.09

• shoulder M06.01-

• vertebra M06.08

• wrist M06.03-

Coder tips: Pay attention to whether you need a sixth digit or not. The sixth digit, in many cases, signifies the particular location of the rheumatoid arthritis. 

Code M06.09 is for multiple sites, so if the patient has rheumatoid arthritis in both the ankle and wrist, you should report M06.09.