# NEED HELP!!! Left mastoid tip upper neck tender mass consistent with lymphadenopathy



## jwschroeterjr@gmail.com (Feb 24, 2011)

How would you code this diagnosis? Does consistent with lymphadenopathy make it lymphadenopathy or do you code for the mass and what is the diagnosis codes? Left mastoid tip upper neck tender mass consistent with lymphadenopathy


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## Rajebpt (Feb 24, 2011)

My thoughts
   if the reason for exam is mass we can code mass itself


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## ohn0disaster (Feb 25, 2011)

This article should be extremely helpful to you. Here you go! 

http://www.coderyte.com/Coding-corner/consistent-with-conditions.html



> *How to code "consistent with" conditions  *
> Periodically, an official coding instruction “rocks the coding world.”  Sometimes it's just a small rumble, other times it's more earth shattering. Most often it's something between the two. But a recent clarification from the Central Office on ICD-9-CM that instructs coders that the expression “…consistent with…” is a phrase that indicates uncertainty and consequently cannot be coded from an ICD-9-CM standpoint is one of those instructions that probably rates rather high on the Richter Scale of coding quakes.
> 
> The first official indication that the rule about not coding “probable,” “suspected,” “questionable,” “rule out,” or “working diagnosis” actually applies to other equivocal terms as well--besides just those five listed explicitly in the ICD-9-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting came in a letter from the Central Office on ICD-9-CM to CodeRyte, Inc. dated Oct. 8, 2003 in a response to a question posed by CodeRyte.  (CodeRyte wanted to know whether “…consistent with…” and a few other frequently-used expressions were officially “equivocal” and so couldn't be used for coding purposes.)  Here is the key content from their Oct. 8, 2003 response:
> ...



That's only part of the article, quoted. Click the links to see the rest of the information.


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## NaliniAAPC (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi,
I agree witn Vanessa article,consistent with lymphadenopathy is fall under suspected or probable condition, so code only Mass...

Regards,
Nalini CPC


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