Immobility ICD 10 codes
Impaired mobility ICD 10 codes are a number of billing codes used to address a blanket term for the numerous ways in which functions such as walking, changing positions in bed, getting in and out of the car or propelling a wheelchair can be impaired. Due to the focus on function that rehabilitation professionals have adopted in the last 20 years, assessing and addressing functional mobility is very important. After all, what do most of our patients want? They want to be able to move around better throughout their lives.
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The term ‘impairments’ encapsulates a host of functional limitations related to mobility. In some cases, a person may not be able to perform a mobility-related task at all while in other cases, the performance of the task may cause pain, high levels of fatigue or fear. It may take extra time, extra effort, increased support or assistive devices to complete the mobility-related task. In all cases, an impairment exists, and directing your treatment to the underlying cause is a good idea.
There are many reasons functional mobility may be impaired.
Let’s explore some possibilities:
- Pain
- Muscle strength or endurance deficits
- Range of motion or flexibility impairments
- Changes in muscle tone
- Impaired coordination, sensation or proprioception
- Motor control deficits
- Reduced cardiorespiratory fitness
- Balance impairments
- Lack of appropriate assistive devices, adaptive footwear or prosthetics
- Movement disorders
Given the numerous causative factors underlying impaired mobility, you may wish to include a mobility-related ICD-10 diagnosis code during your initial evaluation and follow-up visits. This is especially helpful if improving mobility is one of your goals.
If you, like many therapists, have some experience searching for and selecting ICD-10 codes but are less familiar with the who, what, when, and why these codes are used, read on for an ICD-10 code primer. Following this we will discuss impaired mobility ICD 10 codes in more detail.
The International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a set of diagnosis, symptom, and procedure codes that physical therapists use daily in their practice. They identify a medical diagnosis and help insurance companies understand why the care you provide is medically necessary and therefore, reimbursable.
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An Introduction to ICD-10 Codes
Who: All HIPAA-covered entities are required to submit ICD-10 codes if seeking reimbursement for services from an insurance company. This includes physical therapists.
What: ICD-10 codes are alphanumeric codes. They begin with a letter and are always between three and seven characters with a decimal point placed after the third character.
Each code follows the following structure:
- Characters 1-3 indicate the category of the diagnosis
- Characters 4-6 indicate etiology, anatomic site, severity or other clinical detail
- Character 7 is an extension value, for example:
- A: initial encounter (anything related to care of the initial injury)
- D: subsequent encounter (anything related to the phase of routine care of the injury while the patient recovers–this usually refers to rehabilitation)
- S: sequela (other conditions that may result from the presence of the primary condition)
Note, for fracture care, there are several more extensions (example: P, G, K, which signify malunion, delayed healing, or nonunion for a subsequent encounter)
You will submit a primary diagnosis code (the primary reason you are treating the patient) and any other relevant diagnosis codes.
When selecting ICD-10 codes, the code with the highest number of applicable characters should be chosen, at least on the first visit. Greater specificity is more likely to lead to reimbursement but it should always be supported by the patient’s medical record and clinical knowledge of the patient’s condition.
When: ICD-10 codes must be submitted with relevant documentation whenever reimbursement is sought for covered services either by the healthcare entity itself or by a patient.
Why: While it may seem like an extra step in an already detailed process of documentation and billing, ICD-10 codes are required for a specific reason. Not only do they identify a medical diagnosis, but perhaps more importantly, they help insurance companies understand why the care you are providing is medically necessary and therefore, reimbursable.
Impaired mobility ICD 10 code selection
Unlike other physical therapy ICD-10 codes, searching a database for “impaired mobility” does not immediately populate a singular code titled “impaired mobility.” Instead, it populates a few options with similar but not exact verbiage. Let’s explore the different types of impaired mobility ICD 10 codes that can be used for billing.
R26 Abnormalities of gait and mobility
This code set is an option for mobility-related diagnosis codes. R26 itself is not considered specific enough for reimbursement, however as there are several more specific and billable codes in this set:
R26.0: Ataxic gait
R26.1: Paralytic gait
R26.2: Difficulty in walking, not elsewhere classified
R26.81: Unsteadiness on feet
R26.89: Other abnormalities of gait and mobility
R26.9: Unspecified abnormalities of gait and mobility
Z74.0 Reduced mobility
This code sounds very similar to impaired mobility but Z74.0 is not considered specific enough for reimbursement. Instead, we must look for more detailed codes. Below are the codes starting with Z74 that are more detailed and specific enough for reimbursement. Note, the descriptors for these codes are quite different from those in the R26 set.
Z74.01: Bed confinement status
Z74.09: Other reduced mobility
Z74.1: Need for assistance with personal care
Z74.2 : Need for assistance at home and no other household member able to render care
Z74.3: Need for continuous supervision
Z74.8: Other problems related to care provider dependency
Z74.9: Problems related to care provider dependency, unspecified
Z74.09 Other reduced mobility
This code can be a catchall for mobility-related impairments that are not captured by any of the codes listed above or below.
Z99.3 Dependence on wheelchair
This code should also be considered if your patient is dependent on a wheelchair.
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Tips for using impaired mobility ICD 10 codes
Thorough documentation: Appropriate coding and thorough documentation are practices essential to maximizing timely and accurate reimbursement for your services. Using an ICD-10 database like ICD 10 Data for impaired mobility ICD 10 codes will help ensure you are coding accurately and staying up to date with yearly changes.
Outcome measures: When assessing functional mobility, consider using one of the many outcome measures designed for that purpose.
For walking, consider:
- The 10-meter walk test
- The 2-minute walk test
- 6-minute walk tests to assess components of walking
For wheelchair function or gait, consider:
- The Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM)
- Power Mobility Community Driving Assessment
- The TUG or L Test can assess overall mobility during gait
There are many to choose from. Using functional outcome measures helps you identify components of functional mobility that require intervention and gives you a target for creating goals and measuring progress.
Addressing functional mobility can take your practice to the next level. It is patient-centered and shows that you recognize the far-reaching implications that body structure and function impairments and health conditions have on the lives of your patients. If you haven’t been using impaired mobility ICD 10 codes, now is a great time to start!
How EHR and practice management software can save you time with insurance billing for therapists
EHRs with integrated billing software and clearing houses, such as TheraPlatform, offer therapists significant advantages in creating an efficient insurance billing process. The key is minimizing the amount of time dedicated to developing, sending, and tracking medical claims through features such as automation and batching.
What are automation and batching?
- Automation refers to setting up software to perform tasks with limited human interaction.
- Batching or performing administrative tasks in blocks of time at once allows you to perform a task from a single entry point with less clicking.
Which billing and medical claim tasks can be automated and batched through billing software?
- Invoices: Create multiple invoices for multiple clients with a click or two of a button or set up auto-invoice creation, and the software will automatically create invoices for you at the preferred time. You can even have the system automatically send invoices to your clients.
- Credit card processing: Charge multiple clients with a click of a button or set up auto credit card billing, and the billing software will automatically charge the card (easier than swiping!)
- Email payment reminders: Never manually send another reminder email for payment again, or skip this altogether by enabling auto credit card charges.
- Automated claim creation and submission: Batch multiple claims with one button click or turn auto claim creation and submission on.
- Live claim validation: The system reviews each claim to catch any human errors before submission, saving you time and reducing rejected claims.
- Automated payment posting: Streamline posting procedures for paid medical claims with ERA. When insurance offers ERA, all their payments will post automatically on TheraPlatform's EHR.
- Tracking: Track payment and profits, including aging invoices, overdue invoices, transactions, billed services, service providers.
Utilizing billing software integrated with an EHR and practice management software can make storing and sharing billing and insurance easy and save providers time when it comes to insurance billing for therapists.
TheraPlatform is an all-in-one EHR, practice management, and teletherapy software built for therapists to help them save time on admin tasks. It offers a 30-day risk-free trial with no credit card required and supports different industries and sizes of practices, including physical therapists in group and solo practices.
More resources
- Therapy resources and worksheets
- Therapy private practice courses
- Ultimate teletherapy ebook
- The Ultimate Insurance Billing Guide for Therapists
- The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Private Therapy Practice
- Insurance billing 101
- Practice management tools
