Dysphagia, pharyngeal phase

This code signifies difficulty or inability to swallow due to impaired function of the pharynx. It specifically refers to problems with the second stage of swallowing, where food or liquid is propelled from the oral cavity through the pharynx into the esophagus. This can manifest as coughing, choking, or nasal regurgitation during the swallow.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates a swallowing disorder localized to the pharyngeal phase. This often arises from neurological conditions (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease), structural abnormalities, or muscle weakness affecting the pharyngeal constrictors. Supporting documentation typically includes speech-language pathology evaluations, videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS), or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) reports detailing pharyngeal dysfunction.

• Differentiate from oral phase (R13.11) or esophageal phase (R13.14) dysphagia; documentation must specify pharyngeal involvement.
• Always code the underlying cause of the dysphagia first, if known and documented (e.g., stroke, neurological disorder).
• Avoid using unspecified dysphagia codes (R13.10) when the specific phase is identified.