Take a moment and test your software with the following commonly used ICD-9 codes:
Enter 847.0 Sprain and Strain of Neck. Does your EHR provide both the sprain diagnoses as well as strain?
Enter 722.10 “lumbar intervertebral disc without myelopathy” and 724.2 “Lumbago.” Does your EHR warn you that you cannot code M51.26 Other intervertebral disc displacement, lumbar region with M54.5 low back pain?
Enter 724.8 “lumbar facet syndrome”. Does your EHR direct you to M54.08 Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, sacral and sacrococcygeal region? M53.86, other specified dorsopathies, lumbar region is the correct response.
Enter 843.8 Sprain and Strain of other specified sites of hip and thigh. Does your EHR provide you only one code choice, S73.199_? If you were to choose this default code you would be telling the payer that you are not sure which of your patient’s hips was sprained. ICD-10 offers laterality codes; S73.191_ Other sprain of right hip and S73.192_ Other sprain of left hip. In addition, there are codes for strain of hip, a completely separate condition; S76.011_ Strain of muscle, fascia, tendon of right hip and S76.012_ Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon left hip.
