Outpatient Facility Coding Alert
Know Whether to Select 715, 716, or Another Dx for Knee Arthritis
PDF
Question: Our physician wrote “knee pain” and “arthritis left knee” as a diagnosis. Would I use the 715 (Osteoarthrosis and allied disorders) or 716 (Other and unspecified arthropathies) category to code this?
New Mexico Subscriber
Answer: “Knee pain” would be coded as 719.46 (Other and unspecified disorders of joint; pain in joint; lower leg). In general, arthritis (whether acute, chronic, or subacute) is classified as 716.9x, and arthritis in the knee would be coded 716.96 (Other and unspecified arthropathies; Arthropathy, unspecified; lower leg). Assuming the arthritis is a more definitive diagnosis of the “knee pain” also noted, you would simply code 716.96. ICD-9 does not provide a mechanism to specify left versus right knee; you will likely have to wait for ICD-10 to get to that level of detail.
Outpatient Facility Coding Alert
- Orthopedics:
Check All Possible Procedures to Reach Hands-Down Wrist Arthroscopy Success
Tip: Payer guidelines show when you can report multiple repairs. Coding for wrist arthroscopy is [...] - Sleep Studies:
Learn the Differences Between Sleep Studies and Polysomnography
Age, stage, and parameters all point you to the best codes. If you code for [...] - Urology:
Understand What 'Stent' Really Means in Multi-Physician Urology Encounters
Hint: Don’t automatically turn to 52332. Urologists routinely place stents for their own outpatient surgical [...] - ICD-10:
Look for More Detailed Pneumothorax Code Choices in 2014
Say good-bye to ‘unspecified’ diagnoses. Several treatments are available for pneumothorax, including injecting air into [...] - You Be the Coder:
Check This Code for Intervertebral Disc Biopsy
Question: Which code should we use for intervertebral disc biopsy for discitis? I’m considering 20220, [...] - Reader Question:
Know Whether to Select 715, 716, or Another Dx for Knee Arthritis
Question: Our physician wrote “knee pain” and “arthritis left knee” as a diagnosis. Would I [...] - Reader Question:
Understand Thickness for Lip Border Repair
Question: One of the physicians in our urgent care center reported a 2.5-3 cm mucosal [...] - Reader Question:
Yes, Reporting 77003 With 62310 Is Acceptable
Question: Do payers allow you to report fluoroscopy in conjunction with an interlaminar epidural block? [...]