Coding for Pain in ICD-10-CM

by  Chris Woolstenhulme, QCC, CMCS, CPC, CMRS
January 29th, 2018

The following codes are the most common Pain codes used in ICD-10

G89.0                      Central pain syndrome   Chronic Condition

G89.11‑G89.18         G89.1 Acute pain, not elsewhere classified

G89.21‑G89.29         G89.2 Chronic pain, not elsewhere classified

G89.3                      Neoplasm related pain (acute) (chronic)   Chronic Condition

G89.4                      Chronic pain syndrome

There are more specific pain codes, that define the encounter with more specificity. Such as acute and chronic. Chronic Pain has no time frame defining the pain and can be reported when the condition is chronic pain.

G89.3 May be assigned as the first listed diagnosis or the principal diagnosis, when the reason for the encounter is neoplasm related pain.

R52 - Pain, unspecified

Acute pain NOS
Generalized pain NOS
Pain NOS

Excludes1: acute and chronic pain, not elsewhere classified (G89.-)
localized pain, unspecified type - code to pain by site, such as:

abdomen pain (R10.-)
back pain (M54.9)
breast pain (N64.4)
chest pain (R07.1-R07.9)
ear pain (H92.0-)
eye pain (H57.1)
headache (R51)
joint pain (M25.5-)
limb pain (M79.6-)
lumbar region pain (M54.5)
pelvic and perineal pain (R10.2)
shoulder pain (M25.51-)
spine pain (M54.-)
throat pain (R07.0)
tongue pain (K14.6)
tooth pain (K08.8)
renal colic (N23)
pain disorders exclusively related to psychological factors (F45.41)