Anesthesia Coding Alert

Plus: Don’t forget to check if anesthesia modifiers apply to the case. 

ICD-9 includes several diagnosis codes for cardiomyopathy, based on the specific type diagnosed. Many of the codes will remain the same in ICD-10, but some will be divided into multiple codes for better specificity. Here are a few examples of how some of your most common cardiomyopathy conditions will be reported, beginning in October 2015. 

Coding notes: Your anesthesia provider might not always know the details of which type of cardiomyopathy the cardiologist has diagnosed. You’ll need to verify the correct diagnosis with someone in the surgeon’s office if the information isn’t in the anesthesia chart. 

Also remember that certain modifiers might be allowed when you’re coding anesthesia for a cardiac patient. The patient could qualify for a higher-level physical status modifier such as P2 (A patient with mild systemic disease), P3 (A patient with severe systemic disease), or P4 (A patient with severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life). Some payers allow you to report additional base units in conjunction with P modifiers. 

If the procedure involved monitored anesthesia care (MAC), you might also append modifier G9 (Monitored anesthesia care for patient who has history of severe cardiopulmonary condition). The patient’s history and present condition (as well as the payer in question) will dictate whether G9 could apply.