SOP Bulletin No. 32

2 February 2000

IMPORTANT OPERATIONAL FEATURES

•       This new SOP combines the SOPs for “Generalised Anxiety Disorder” and “Anxiety Due to a General Medical Condition” and further extends the coverage of the two previous SOPs by including anxiety disorder not otherwise classified.
•       However the diagnosis “Anxiety Due to a General Medical Condition” continues to operate in essence as a separate SOP, for which there is only one factor (plus ACM). In effect this diagnosis will have less factors than those for other types of anxiety and therefore it will remain important to ensure that such a diagnosis is indeed due to the direct physiological consequence of a general medical condition.
•       The SOP retains the POW factor, changes experiencing a stressful event to experiencing a severe psychosocial stressor and adds two new factors. The new factors are having either, a major illness or injury, or a clinically significant psychiatric condition.
•       A diagnosis of anxiety depression is coded 300.4 and goes to the SOP for Depressive Disorder not the Anxiety Disorder SOP. Note also that social phobias such as claustrophobia are not covered and remain non SOP conditions.

•       Three additional factors have been added. These are running (as specified), being obese or suffering from one of a specified list of arthritic conditions. 
•       The definition of trauma has been deleted.
•       The words “with or without calcaneal spur” have been removed from the definition. Calcaneal spur is an asymptomatic condition found incidentally on x-ray. If a claim for calcaneal spur is received, and symptoms in the region of the spur are present then the symptomatic condition, which will generally be plantar fasciitis, should be diagnosed. Asymptomatic calcaneal spur is a non SOP condition.

Remember! If you are having any problems with SOPs, or SOPs in CCPS, talk to us!