Anesthesia Coding Alert

Relax: The descriptors are already familiar.

With approximately 20 CPT^® codes addressing hysterectomy, coding for the actual procedure could sometimes be a challenge. Fortunately, selecting the correct diagnosis is a bit easier, provided your anesthesiologist or CRNA has documentation of a few key details.

ICD-10’s code choices fall under the family of Z90.7 (Acquired absence of genital organ[s]). Your options are:

• Z90.710 – Acquired absence of both cervix and uterus
• Z90.711 – Acquired absence of uterus with remaining cervical stump.

The diagnosis selection is easy since you only have to know whether the surgeon completed a partial or complete hysterectomy.

Remember: Z codes represent reasons for encounters. A corresponding procedure code must accompany a Z code if a procedure is performed, so you’ll need that code from the surgeon (as with any anesthesia case). Categories Z00-Z99 are provided for occasions when circumstances other than a disease, injury or external cause classifiable to categories A00-Y89 are recorded as ‘diagnoses’ or ‘problems.’