Anesthesia Coding Alert
Pinpointing Rupture Will Be Key to AAA Anesthesia Coding Under ICD-10
Tip: Look to other code families for thoracic aneurysm.
When your physician provides anesthesia during surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), your coding will remain virtually the same after ICD-10 implementation.
Current coding: ICD-9 includes four diagnosis codes for AAA, based on the anatomic site and whether the patient experienced a rupture. Your choices are:
ICD-10 options: The same descriptors will remain in place under ICD-10, with only the codes themselves changing. Your new code choices will be:
Documentation: Before choosing a diagnosis of AAA (either under ICD-9 or ICD-10), ensure that the acting surgeon documented that the aneurysm was located in the abdomen. You currently turn to code families 441.1 or 441.2 for thoracic aneurysm or 441.6 or 441.7 for a thoracoabdominal aneurysm. The second point your anesthesiologist should note (or that you should glean from the surgeon’s chart) is whether the aneurysm ruptured.
Anesthesia Coding Alert
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