Welcome to Coffee with the Coder^®, our conversation with Paula Digby and her team to address issues, observations and questions for Health Information Management professionals, physicians, auditors, payors and students. Listen in for twenty minutes or so every other Monday and send in your favorite questions or comments for Coffee with the Coder^® To receive text notifications send an email to help@AQ-IQ.com with your request. We will text you in the hour prior to the start of the next episode, which will be Monday, April 22nd!

We just had to start this one out by mentioning what’s going on today as we’re recording… it’s the day of the big solar eclipse! Now, whether you’re planning to watch it safely or just enjoy the midday darkness, it’s a major event!

Naturally, our expert, Paula Digby, related it to the human side of things. There’s this interesting concept going around called “eclipse sickness”—a kind of anxiety or low feeling some people get around these big cosmic events.

And, of course, her coder brain immediately asks: Is there an ICD-10 code for that? (You know how we are!) Well, short answer is, nope! While it’s a real feeling for some folks, “eclipse sickness” isn’t specifically mapped out in our diagnosis codes.

But, on a serious note, the one thing we do have to code for is the danger of looking directly at that sun! We all know it, but it bears repeating: please use proper protection! If you’re exposed to that intense light, you risk a condition called solar retinopathy.

And for that, we do have a code! The only ICD-10 code that specifically covers this is H31.02, which refers to retinopathy solar.

So, enjoy the celestial show, stay safe, and don’t do anything that would make you need to use H31.02!

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Congratulations to Vickie for winning today’s “mugging”.  Thank you all for being a part of the Coffee with the Coder^® family!

To watch episode 191, click on this fabulous mugshot of Melissa! (Just so you know, the captions are not yet validated.)

Connect for Episode 192 on Monday, April 22nd beginning at 10 am Eastern. You’ll find us on Free Conference Call HD,  Linked In, YouTube, and on Facebook. #coffeewiththecoder