Winter coding cheatsheet: Five ICD-10 codes you’ll reach for again and again

Between December and February, most of the United States settles into peak flu season, and visit volumes climb with a mix of respiratory infections, asthma flares and weather-related injuries. Add in slips and falls on ice and snow, a leading cause of wintertime injuries that can sideline patients and staff alike, and your coding team may feel as busy as your clinicians. Getting paid for that surge depends on whether documentation supports the right diagnoses and seventh characters, not just “favorite” catch-all codes, as Medical Economics has emphasized in its guidance on ICD-10 documentation and compliance. Here are five ICD-10-CM codes that practices commonly use in winter with quick documentation reminders to help your coding stay as sharp as the weather outside.