ICD-9 News You Can Use: Get Ready for 2 New Hyperparathyroidism Codes in October

 If you think you notice something different about the 252 series (Disorders of parathyroid gland) in the 2005 ICD-9-CM manual, you're not imagining things. Two new hyperparathyroidism codes will make their debut Oct. 1:

  252.00 - Hyperparathyroidism, unspecified
  252.01 - Primary hyperparathyroidism
Until now, the available codes in ICD-9-CM forced coders to report 252.0 (Hyperparathyroidism) for both primary and unspecified hyperparathyroidism. The new codes will allow for greater specificity, says Lawrence A. Domont, MD, FACE, a clinical endocrinologist with Advocate Medical Group in Park Ridge, Ill., and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Coding Committee.
 
If your endocrinologist diagnoses a patient with hyperparathyroidism but is still in the initial stages of determining the exact cause (for example, during the patient's first visit), you may find 252.00 the more appropriate code, Domont says. Until the physician determines whether the condition is primary (new code 252.01) or secondary (588.8), the unspecified code would be your best choice.
 
Important Reminder: CMS has eliminated the customary 90-day grace period, so your practice should be readying itself to begin reporting new and revised codes on Oct. 1.

- Published on 2004-08-26