# Dx code for Labor Epi



## elisaarb (Sep 28, 2010)

I have a quick question:  Patient receives an epidural for labor admitted with Dx code:
V22.1   patient fails to progress with dilation and eventually goes in for a C-Section which now the Dx code for C-section would refer to the failure to progress....  My Question is what Dx code would you use with the labor epidural charge (the V code or the failure to progress?)  hmmmm not really sure big debate on it today in the office - thanks for your responses....


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## preserene (Sep 28, 2010)

What was the diagnosis the physician documented more than the general and diffuse term of 'failure to progress'. When it comes to coding too, don't we have to be more specific about the cause of failure to progress, like any obstructive cause, or abnormalities of forces of labor, uterine inertia, dysfunctional uterine contraction ,desultory labor, slow slope active phase labor / prolonged second stage, or fetal distress and on and on and on- 652-663 series.(there would have been a partogram done which could give some clues too. )
Why I say this is , the epidural is not directly related to to the cause of failure to progress and so why would we couple the epidural with the diagnosis for Cesar Indication and delivery? Anesthesia code for Cesar will couple with that.
Epidural has its own stand alone code  CPT code 01967 given during vaginal labor, even if a Cesar undertaken (which would be an add on code to this 019670.)
So what diagnosis code appropriately fits for cesarean at this juncture could very well go with .
Now, it is your highest specification of indication for cesar is to be decided first. Check with your doctor if you do not find the  most specific indication for cesar. if it is still failure to progress only documented then assign within 661.9 or 662.xx.
 Does it give some sense?


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