tci Part B Insider - 2016 Issue 10

Reader Question: 'G' Codes Point the Way to Bell's Palsy Dx

Question: Our neurologist diagnosed a patient with Bell’s Palsy. Can you advise how to report this under ICD-10? Answer: When coding by ICD-9, you reported 351.0 (Bell’s palsy) to describe the condition. This code was also applicable for patients who suffered from facial palsy. Now with ICD-10, you submit G51.0 (Bell’s palsy) as the diagnosis. Because the descriptor is identical to 351.0’s descriptor, you will not adopt any significant changes related to the code’s function. Documentation: Since no specific test confirms Bell’s palsy, your physician’s initial diagnosis will largely...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci Part B Insider.

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.