Pain in cervical spine for less than 3 months. Pain in cervical spine for more than 3 months. Pain, cervical (neck) spine, acute less than 3 months. Pain, cervical (neck), chronic, more than 3 months. Clinical Information. A disorder characterized by marked discomfort sensation in the neck area.
A type 1 excludes note is for used for when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
Injuries to the cervical spine may occur with or without associated spinal cord injury. When there is an associated spinal cord injury, it typically is listed first. Injuries of the spinal cord must be documented as:
Injuries of the spinal cord must be documented as: Concussion/edema – There is bruising, inflammation and/or bleeding at the site of the injury, typically causing temporary loss of function, but as the injury heals, most patients experience full recovery of motor and sensory function.
Traumatic spondylolisthesis refers to a slippage or displacement of the vertebrae from an acute injury, and the severity of the injury can vary significantly. For this reason, traumatic spondylolisthesis is classified as Type I, II, IIA, or III.
At the C2 (axis) vertebra, one of the most common types of fracture is a traumatic spondylolisthesis, which also may be referred to as a Hangman’s fracture. Traumatic spondylolisthesis refers to a slippage or displacement of the vertebrae from an acute injury, and the severity of the injury can vary significantly.
Dens fractures also are classified by type, with the most common dens fracture being a Type II. A Type II fracture occurs at the base of the dens and is usually transverse. Type I dens fractures are rare and involve an oblique avulsion type of fracture of the tip of the dens.
Codes for dislocation and sprains of the joints and ligaments of the neck are found in category S13. This category includes specific codes for traumatic rupture of the disc (S13.0-), subluxation, and dislocation at each interspace (S13.1-), plus sprain of ligaments such as the anterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine (S13.4-).
Lauri Gray, RHIT, CPC, has worked in the health information management field for 30 years. She began her career as a health records supervisor in a multi-specialty clinic. Following that she worked in the managed care industry as a contracting and coding specialist for a major HMO. Most recently she has worked as a clinical technical editor of coding and reimbursement print and electronic products. She has also taught medical coding at the College of Eastern Utah. Areas of expertise include: ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure coding, physician coding and reimbursement, claims adjudication processes, third-party reimbursement, RBRVS and fee schedule development. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
Unspecified injury at C3 level of cervical spinal cord 1 S14.103 should not be used for reimbursement purposes as there are multiple codes below it that contain a greater level of detail. 2 The 2021 edition of ICD-10-CM S14.103 became effective on October 1, 2020. 3 This is the American ICD-10-CM version of S14.103 - other international versions of ICD-10 S14.103 may differ.
Use secondary code (s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code. code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable ( Z18.-)