Left shoulder pain ICD 10 code

Left shoulder pain ICD 10 code

Left shoulder pain ICD 10 code

icd-10 code for rotator cuff tear left shoulder

An introduction to ICD-10 Codes

If you, like many therapists, have some experience searching for and selecting left shoulder pain ICD 10 codes and similar codes but don’t have a good understanding of the who, what, when and why these codes are used, review this section for an ICD-10 code primer. Following this introduction we will discuss the left shoulder pain ICD10 code in more detail.

Who: All HIPAA-covered entities are required to submit ICD-10 codes if seeking reimbursement for services from an insurance company. This includes physical therapists.

What: The International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a set of diagnosis, symptom, and procedure codes that physical therapists use daily in their practice. ICD-10 codes are alphanumeric codes. They begin with a letter and are always between three and seven characters with a decimal point placed after the third character. The more characters it has, the more specific it is. Each code follows the following structure:

  • Characters 1-3 indicate the category of the diagnosis
  • Characters 4-6 indicate etiology, anatomic site, severity or other clinical detail
  • Character 7 is an extension value, for example:
    • A: initial encounter (anything related to care of the initial injury)
    • D: subsequent encounter (anything related to the phase of routine care of the injury while the patient recovers-this usually refers to rehabilitation)
    • S: sequela (other conditions that may result from the presence of the primary condition)

Note, for fracture care, there are several more extensions ( example: P, G, K, which signify malunion, delayed healing, or nonunion for a subsequent encounter)

When: ICD-10 codes must be submitted with relevant documentation whenever reimbursement is sought for covered services either by the healthcare entity itself or by a patient.

Why: While it may seem like an extra step in an already detailed process of documentation and billing, ICD-10 codes are required for a specific reason. Not only do they identify a medical diagnosis, but perhaps more importantly, they help insurance companies understand why the care you are providing is medically necessary and therefore, reimbursable.

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Left shoulder pain ICD 10 codes

What is the ICD-10 code for left shoulder pain?

Left shoulder pain ICD 10 code, M25.512 is used in situations where the patient is presenting with discomfort or pain in the shoulder region lasting more than 3 months (chronic) or less than 3 months (acute).

The left shoulder pain ICD 10 code can be used to account for both shoulder and AC joint pain. This code is considered specific enoughfor billing/reimbursement purposes but given that it fails to identify any health condition associated with the pain, alternative codes may be available that more accurately describe your patient’s condition.

Let’s look at some examples of more specific left shoulder pain ICD 10 codes to give you an idea of what to search for when documenting.

Shoulder pain ICD 10 codes

Description

S46.012A

Strain of the muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of left shoulder, initial encounter

S43.52XD

Sprain of the left acromioclavicular joint, subsequent encounter

M75.42

Impingement syndrome of the left shoulder

M75.22

Bicipital tendinitis, left shoulder

Z47.1

Used to declare aftercare after joint (in this case shoulder) replacement surgery and used with code Z96.612 for presence of left artificial shoulder joint

Z48.89

Used to denote an encounter for other specified surgical aftercare which includes aftercare for musculoskeletal system surgery

When it comes to selecting the correct left shoulder pain ICD 10 codes, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publish an updated list of codes each year to go into effect October 1 and remain in effect until September 30 of the following year. Sites like ICD10 Data can also be helpful in identifying code changes once they update their list as announced on their homepage.

Additional code considerations for left shoulder pain

In addition to the primary code selections, place of occurrence codes (Y92) and external cause codes (V00-Y99) can be used to further increase specificity for billing. These codes are often used only during the initial evaluation.

Below is an example for each type of code as it relates to left shoulder pain due to fall from ladder on construction site:
  • Y92.6: Building [any] under construction as the place of occurrence of the external cause
  • W11: Fall on and from ladder

This post was last modified on November 27, 2024 5:23 am