Cardiology Coding Alert

Coding Quiz:

Report These ICD-10 Codes for Myocardial Degeneration, Heart Failure

Published on Fri Jun 21, 2019

Hint: You have three ICD-10 options for cardiac arrest.

Have you ever been left scratching your head over which ICD-10 codes to choose for cardiac arrest? Or wondered what your diagnosis options are for heart failure? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled FAQs about cardiology diagnoses to help you keep your claims in tip-top shape.

Read on to learn more.

Turn to This Code For Myocardial Degeneration

FAQ 1: The cardiologist documented a diagnosis of myocardial degeneration in the patient’s medical documentation. Which ICD-10 code should we report for this condition?

Answer 1: You should report I51.5 (Myocardial degeneration) for myocardial degeneration. Code I51.5 also includes the following conditions:

Fatty degeneration of the heart or myocardium
Myocardial disease
Senile degeneration of the heart or myocardium.

Myocardial degeneration defined: Myocardial degeneration involves a decline from the normal structure or function of the middle layer of the heart wall — the myocardium.

Caution: Excludes lists are crucial for finding the proper diagnosis code. For instance, make sure you see that myocardial degeneration due to hypertension does not belong under I51.5.

Reporting Mobitz Block Type I? Do This

FAQ 2: I need to submit a code for Mobitz block type I. Can you help me?

Answer 2: You should report I44.1 (Atrioventricular block, second degree) for Mobitz block type I. If you look under included conditions for I44.1, you will see that this code includes types I and II atrioventricular block; types I and II Mobitz block; types I and II second degree block; and Wenckebach’s block.

Condition defined: Heart block or AV block refers to impairment of the electrical signal from the heart’s upper to lower chambers. In a second-degree heart block, some of the signals from the atria don’t reach the ventricles, resulting in a skipped beat (typical of type I) or a slow beat, which may require a pacemaker (typical of type II).

Count on 3 Options for Cardiac Arrest

FAQ 3: The patient has a diagnosis of cardiac arrest. What ICD-10 codes should we turn to?

Answer 3: There are three ICD-10 codes for cardiac arrest. They are as follows:

I46.2 (Cardiac arrest due to underlying cardiac condition)
I46.8 (Cardiac arrest due to other underlying condition)
I46.9 (Cardiac arrest, cause unspecified).

Coder tips: Work with your physician to ensure you have easy access to documentation of the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest so you may code more accurately. Not only will you need to know whether the underlying cause is “cardiac” or “other” to choose between I46.2 and I46.8, but you’ll also need to know the specific underlying condition so you may report it separately.

Cardiac arrest defined: Cardiac arrest refers to a sudden loss of heart function caused by the heart’s electrical system (that is, arrhythmia). Cardiac arrest differs from a heart attack, which results from a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart.

Decipher Heart Failure Acronyms

FAQ 4: My cardiologist used the abbreviation HFrEF in his documentation. What does this acronym mean, and what ICD-10 code should I report for this condition?

Answer 4: HFrEF is the acronym for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, which is also known as systolic heart failure. When a patient has systolic heart failure, the left ventricle of her heart is not able to contract normally, so her heart can’t pump with enough force to push enough blood into circulation.

If you look under category I50.2- (Systolic (congestive) heart failure), you will see two included conditions - heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and systolic left ventricular heart failure. This is where your HFrEF acronym comes into play.

When you are reporting systolic congestive heart failure, you will turn to the following code choices: