Pain Codes

Effective October 1, 2006, a new category has been created for pain to include central pain syndrome, acute pain, chronic pain, neoplasm related pain, and chronic pain syndrome. In addition, a new code has been created for generalized pain (780.96). Please refer to the Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in this issue for instructions on the usage of these codes. Add New category PAIN (338) 338 Pain, not elsewhere classified Use additional code to identify: pain associated with psychological factors (307.89) Excludes: generalized pain (780.96) localized pain, unspecified type – code to pain...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AHA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article explains a set of pain-related coding updates effective October 1, 2006. It is relevant to coders, billing staff, and clinical documentation teams who work with diagnosis coding and need to understand the scope of the new pain category, the addition of generalized pain, and the accompanying references to official coding guidance.

Why This Topic Matters

Pain-related diagnoses are commonly documented across many specialties, so classification updates can affect claim accuracy, problem list coding, and reporting consistency. The article helps readers recognize the broad areas affected by the revision without requiring them to rely on fragmented source notes.

Article Sections

  1. ICD-9-CM Pain Category Updates

    Overview of the new pain-related diagnosis category and the associated additions and exclusions discussed in the article. The section frames the updates in relation to diagnosis coding and official guidance.

What You Will Learn

  • What general pain-related coding updates are being introduced
  • Which broad pain categories are affected by the revision
  • How the article positions the new guidance within official coding references
  • Why the update may matter for diagnosis coding and reporting workflows

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Coding auditors
  • Billing staff
  • Clinical documentation improvement specialists
  • Healthcare providers

Codes Discussed

  • ICD-9-CM: 338
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.0
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.1
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.11
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.12
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.18
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.19
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.2
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.21
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.22
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.28
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.29
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.3
  • ICD-9-CM: 338.4
  • ICD-9-CM: 780.96

Code Ranges Discussed

  • ICD-9-CM: 337.20-337.29

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