The codes used to document medical services and bill insurers are referred to as ICD which is an acronym for the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. The World Health Organization created these codes and over 25 countries use them for reimbursement purposes.
Across the globe, medical and billing professionals are making the transition to the newest set of codes called ICD-10. In the United States, there are two types of ICD-10 codes. There are ICD-10 CM (clinical modification) codes and there are ICD-10 PCS (procedure code system) codes. All in all, there are more than 140,000 different combinations of numbers and letters assigned to every medical situation you can think of.Thankfully, the codes have a structure that helps medical professionals understand them. The first 3 characters categorize the disease, the 4th notes the etiology of disease, the 5th tells the body part that was affected, the 6th indicates the severity of the illness, and the 7th is a placeholder for the extension of the code to help better its specificity.
The Codes You Might Never Use
Among this new set of codes there are many that seem a bit odd, and chances are you won’t get to use them. Here are 15 ridiculous ICD-10 codes which you may never have to bill for:
1. V9027XA – Drowning and submersion due to falling or jumping from burning water skis.
2. V9542XA – Forced landing of spacecraft injuring the occupant.
3. W5609XA – contact with dolphin.
4. W5922XS – Struck by turtle, sequela. Sequela indicates that the condition was caused by a previous injury or illness.
5. Z621 – Parental overprotection.
6. Z631 – Problems in relationship with in-laws.
7. V0009XS – Pedestrian on foot injured in collision with other pedestrian conveyance, sequela
8. W2202XA – Walked into a lamppost, initial encounter.
9. R460 – Very low level of personal hygiene
10. W5622XA – Struck by Orca, initial encounter.
11. X52 – Prolonged stay in weightless environment.
12. W6162 – Struck by a duck, sequela
13. Z731 – Type A behavior pattern
14. R461 – Bizarre personal appearance
15. W5649 – Other contact with shark
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