ABSTRACT

In International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) there are specific codes for post-traumatic osteoarthritis. When arthritis develops as a result of a prior traumatic injury, these codes can be used. There are some indications that the perception of the problem is changing. For many years, patients who received treatment for depression or other disorders through group health insurance plans had higher out-of-pocket expenses than for other types of illness. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was passed in the fall of that year to require group health insurance plans to have benefits for mental health and substance abuse disorders that are equivalent to the coverage provided for other types of medical problems. Proper coding is a skill set that requires knowledge by the provider to give proper documentation and the biller/coder to produce a proper medical claim. Proper coding can be significant if the provider is asked for an evaluation of Disability Status.