Late Effects of Poliomyelitis: Let’s Clear Up the 138 Confusion

Coding Late Effects of Acute Poliomyelitis

Acute poliomyelitis is a diagnosis we do not code very often but we do need to watch out for its residual deficits.  Acute poliomyelitis is a disease of the anterior horn motor neuron of the spinal cord and brain stem caused by poliovirus.

A patient who has a residual deficit of poliomyelitis will be coded using the 138 code, late effects of acute poliomyelitis, rather than a code from the 045 category.  The residual deficit will be coded first followed by the late effect code.  The only time this would be different is if the residual is a manifestation code in which the late effect code would precede the residual (manifestation) code, see example below.

Patient admitted into home care for PT to evaluate and treat patient for strengthening due to diagnosis of osteopathy of leg resulting from poliomyelitis.

V57.1    Other, physical therapy

138        Late effects of acute poliomyelitis

730.76  Osteopathy resulting from poliomyelitis

ICD 10:  B91