# Small Cell Metastatic lung cancer



## rsweigart (Sep 19, 2010)

Could anyone give me some insight as to how to code small cell metastatic lung cancer? This was all that the doctor wrote for the patient. There wasn't any indication as to whether this was primary or secondary. Help Please!!


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## OCD_coder (Sep 19, 2010)

162.9   Lung cancer, unspecified


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## ohn0disaster (Sep 20, 2010)

Take this note back to your doctor for clarification. I try to drill this into my doctors but I always seem to be taking the metastatic cancers back to them. Tell the doctor to specify the cancer as Metastatic Lung cancer *to* ____________ or Lung Cancer *with* ____________ *mets* or however they feel comfortable writing it. As long as both the primary and secondary cancers are indicated, as it is important to be clear with neoplasms. If you don't have the option of taking the note to the doctor, then you would just have to code it as lung cancer unspecified, which is 162.9.


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## mitchellde (Sep 20, 2010)

rsweigart said:


> Could anyone give me some insight as to how to code small cell metastatic lung cancer? This was all that the doctor wrote for the patient. There wasn't any indication as to whether this was primary or secondary. Help Please!!


The AHA coding clinics state to code this as lung cancer primary 162.9 with an unknown metastatic site (199.1)


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## rsweigart (Sep 21, 2010)

Ok,  great! 
Thank you all so much!


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