Eli's Rehab Report

Reader Questions:

Prepare for 2007 ICD-9 Codes Now

Question: I have heard that there will be some new ICD9 codes that may impact my physical medicine and rehab practice’s coding. What are they?


Montana Subscriber


Answer: You will be able to stop using “unspecified” diagnosis codes for several common syndromes starting Oct. 1.

CMS issued its inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rule, including a list of new ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes that take effect in October. The list doesn’t include codes approved at the late-March meeting of the ICD-9 Coordination and Maintenance Committee, including secondary diabetes.

Next year’s ICD-9 codes include a new section (338.x) for different types of pain, including central pain syndrome, and acute and chronic pain due to trauma, thoracotomy or postoperative stress.

Also, five new codes (958.9x) cover traumatic compartment syndrome of various body sites, plus unspecified compartment syndrome. Another four new codes (729.7x) cover nontraumatic compartment syndrome of various body sites.