M08.08

Billable

Unspecified juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, vertebrae

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 93 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.175

V24HCC 40 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.307

ESRDHCC 40 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.000

RxHCCHCC 83 — Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Connective Tissue Disease

0.000

What This Code Means

A type of arthritis that develops in children, affecting the spine and vertebrae, causing inflammation and joint damage.

Coding Tips

•This code does not require laterality specification as it applies to the vertebral column
•Document the specific vertebral levels affected if available for clinical clarity

Clinical Significance

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affecting the vertebrae represents a serious form of pediatric inflammatory spine disease that can lead to spinal fusion and significant disability. This axial involvement requires specialized care and monitoring for growth abnormalities and spinal deformities.

Documentation Requirements

✓Physician diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
✓Documentation of vertebral/spinal involvement
✓Age of onset documented as under 16 years
✓Evidence of inflammatory spinal disease
✓Imaging studies showing vertebral changes
✓Assessment of spinal mobility and function
✓Treatment plan including anti-inflammatory therapy
✓Monitoring for spinal growth abnormalities

Commonly Confused Codes

M081 — Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis with specific spinal fusion M45.9 — Adult ankylosing spondylitis for patients over 16 M54.9 — Non-inflammatory dorsalgia without arthritis M08.09 — Multiple site JRA when spine is primary involvement M46.90 — Unspecified inflammatory spondylopathy

Code Hierarchy

└M08Juvenile arthritis └M08.0Unspecified juvenile rheumatoid arthritis └M08.08Unspecified juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, vertebrae

└M08.08Unspecified juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, vertebrae