I work at a place that uses medical billing codes often. Most of these codes are generic, run-of-the-mill stuff. But, every now and then, I strike gold.
I was looking through a patients bills and came across this:
E883.1 – Accidental fall into well
This kind of blew my mind. Not that the patient fell into a well, but that there was an actual code specifically designated for such an occurrence. Do people fall in wells often? How many times does it take for you to earn your own special diagnosis code?
This definitely required more investigation.
It turns out, there are a ton of codes that you could not imagine…that are hilarious. Try these on for size:
E917.1 – Injury caused by a crowd panic/stampede
This is the one for all the Justin Bieber fans out there. You have created such a hysteria that medical doctors now have a diagnosis code specifically for when you trample your friends to get a look at his beautiful face. Poor guy.
E830.4 – Water Skiing Accident Resulting in Submersion
I knew that my parents were endangering me when they forced me to water ski as a child. Doctors everywhere must encounter children who drown while water skiing all the time. Otherwise, they would not have created this diagnosis code.
E018 – Activity Involving a Musical Instrument
I am unclear about something. I can only think of one activity involving a musical instrument…playing it. Do some people use their guitars to play baseball? Are there flutes designed to hammer in roofing nails? What other activities can be done with a musical instrument?
Those are a few of the interesting codes I came across today. There are literally thousands of these. I cannot imagine doctors billing these codes with a straight face.
My life is interesting.
