F43.22 - Adjustment disorder with anxiety

Clinical Definition

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation, pain, and eventual destruction of joints. This condition primarily affects the small joints of hands and feet symmetrically, though it can affect any joint in the body.

Documentation Requirements

• Site/Laterality

  • Specific joints affected

  • Bilateral vs unilateral involvement

  • Symmetrical vs asymmetrical presentation

• Disease Activity

  • Active vs remission

  • With or without rheumatoid factor

  • Presence/absence of extra-articular manifestations

• Severity Indicators

  • Joint erosion status

  • Functional limitations

  • Systemic involvement

• Temporal Factors

  • Age of onset

  • Disease duration

  • Acute flare vs chronic state

Common Synonyms

• "Inflammatory arthritis"

• "Autoimmune joint disease"

• "RA"

• "Rheumatism" (patient term)

• "Joint inflammation"

Coding Conflicts

• Excludes1:

  • Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (M08.-)

  • Rheumatic fever (I00)

  • Psoriatic arthritis (L40.5-)

• Excludes2:

  • Enteropathic arthropathies (M07.-)

  • Crystal arthropathies (M10-M11)

Scribing.io Automation

Our AI scribe automatically identifies and captures:

• Temporal markers indicating chronicity

• Specific joint involvement patterns

• RF (rheumatoid factor) status mentions

• Disease activity descriptors

• Medication responses

• Extra-articular manifestations

Keywords that trigger automatic documentation include "symmetric polyarthritis," "morning stiffness," "rheumatoid nodules," and "erosive changes."