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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Associate These Terms With 784.42

Published on Tue Aug 25, 2009

Question: Our speech-language pathologist (SLP) diagnosed a singer with diplophonia. What ICD-9 code should I use for this condition? Michigan Subscriber Answer: If the date of service is after Oct. 1, 2009, and the insurer is accepting ICD-9 2010 codes, use 784.42 (Dysphonia). ICD-9 2009 lumps "dysphonia" under 784.49 (Voice disturbance, other). ICD-9 2010 revises this code to "other voice and resonance disorders". Diplophonia is a condition in which the voice simultaneously produces two sounds of different pitch. It is a characteristic of dysphonia. Don't get tripped up by other terms that might be listed with a diagnosis of 784.42. The SLP can explain the characteristics of the dysphonia (for instance, harsh, breathy, diplophonia, strained), notes Nancy Swigert, MA, CCC-SLP, BRS-S, with ENT Associates in Clearwater, Fla. You might also see the SLP use rating scales such as the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) that can help quantify the [...]
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