L90.5 - Scar conditions and fibrosis of skin

Clinical Definition

Disphonia (also spelled dysphonia) refers to difficulty in speaking or voice production, characterized by hoarseness, raspiness, or any alteration in the normal vocal quality. The voice may sound strained, weak, breathy, or rough.

Documentation Requirements

• Acuity:

  • Specify acute vs. chronic

  • Document duration of symptoms

• Cause/Type:

  • Functional vs. organic

  • Underlying condition (if known)

  • Related pathology (e.g., vocal cord nodules, laryngitis)

• Severity:

  • Mild, moderate, or severe

  • Impact on daily activities/communication

• Associated Symptoms:

  • Pain while speaking

  • Vocal fatigue

  • Other concurrent symptoms

Common Synonyms

• Hoarseness

• Loss of voice

• Voice disorder

• Raspy voice

• Vocal problems

• Voice strain

Coding Conflicts

Excludes1:

• Psychogenic dysphonia (F44.4)

• Acute laryngitis with dysphonia (J04.0)

Excludes2:

• Voice disturbances (R49.-)

• Laryngeal spasm (J38.5)

Scribing.io Automation

Scribing.io's AI recognizes key phrases related to voice complaints and automatically flags documentation requirements. The system:

• Identifies descriptive terms for voice quality

• Prompts for duration specification

• Tags associated symptoms

• Suggests documentation of severity and impact

• Highlights potential underlying causes

• Reminds provider to document functional impact

The AI assists in creating comprehensive documentation by automatically detecting context clues in patient-provider conversation about voice issues.