Some of you have asked for a step by step instruction on how to establish an ICD-10 code. Here are 3 typical examples on how to find a code.
Example 1:
1. Identify the main term or condition in the diagnostic statement. The
main term is the key word that will be used to locate the correct diagnostic
code. The main term should be the term that describes the condition or disease
process that is occurring. Underline the main term in the diagnostic statement.
a. Facial Pain
2. Look up the main term in the alphabetic index
a. Pain
3. If necessary check for any indented terms under the main term
a. Face: R51
i. Atypical: G50.1 (since the statement does not state Atypical we cannot
use this code)
4. Go to the numeric index and see if the code matches the statement
a. R51 – Headache and indented under it you see Facial pain (NOS) so this
is a good code.