READER QUESTION ~ Rhinorrhea Dx Now Requires 5th Digit

Question: What diagnosis should I use for rhinorrhea?

New York Subscriber

Answer: Effective Oct. 1, 2006, you should report “rhinorrhea” with ICD-9 code 478.19 (Other disease of nasal cavity and sinuses). This unspecified code describes “other diseases of nasal cavity and sinuses” including “rhinolith,” according to the code’s inclusion entry in the 2007 ICD-9-CM Manual.
 
Code 478.19 is a new code for ICD-9 2007. You previously would have coded rhinorrhea as 478.1. This code now requires a fifth digit of 1 for “nasal mucositis (ulcerative)” or 9 for “other.”

Tool: You can use ICD-9’s tabular list to locate the appropriate code for rhinorrhea. On page 251 in “Volume 2” of the 2007 ICD-9-CM Physician Manual, you will find “Rhinorrhea 478.19.”