Cardiology Coding Alert
Test Your Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease Smarts to Solidify Cardiology Claims
Be aware of the atherosclerosis and pectoris angina combo codes. When you are coding atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, if you don’t pay attention to certain details, you may end up choosing the incorrect code and your payer will deny your claim. You must note important details such as whether the patient also has angina pectoris and the specific type of atherosclerosis. Answer the following questions to cement your atherosclerosis claims. Patient Has Atherosclerotic of Native Coronary Arteries? Do This Question 1: Which ICD-10-CM code choices do I have if my cardiologist documents atherosclerosis of the native coronary arteries? Answer: For atherosclerosis of the native coronary artery, you will look to codes from category I25.1- (Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery). According to the ICD-10 manual, a fifth character is required on this code. Your options become even more focused as you identify whether the patient also had angina pectoris, which is characterized by chest pain and is common in patients with arteriosclerosis. Important: The ICD-10-CM manual lists included conditions for I25.1-, which are as follows: Other codes to include on your claim: Also, according to the ICD-10 manual, you should use an additional code to identify the following, if applicable: Choose Combo Code in This Instance Question 2: Do I need to report more than one code if the patient has atherosclerotic heart disease of the native coronary artery along with angina pectoris? Answer: No. When your cardiologist documents that the patient has atherosclerotic heart disease with angina pectoris, you should actually look to a combination code from category I25.11- (Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery with angina pectoris). Your ICD-10 choices from category I25.11- are as follows: The coding rule: If you report one of these combo codes, then you do not have to report another code for the angina pectoris. “A causal relationship can be assumed in a patient with both atherosclerosis and angina pectoris, unless the documentation indicates the angina is due to something other than the atherosclerosis,” according to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. “If a patient with coronary artery disease is admitted due to an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the AMI should be sequenced before the coronary artery disease.” Always Check Documentation for Specific Type of Atherosclerosis Question 3: My cardiologist documented a diagnosis of atherosclerosis of autologous vein coronary artery bypass graft(s) with unstable angina. Which ICD-10-CM code should I report? Answer: You should report I25.710 (Atherosclerosis of autologous vein coronary artery bypass graft(s) with unstable angina pectoris) in this case. Don’t miss: This question is an example of why it’s so important for the physician to document whether the atherosclerosis is of a native or grafted artery. As you can see, if your cardiologist is dealing with coronary arteries of bypass grafts and coronary arteries of transplanted hearts, then ICD-10-CM gives you a specific category — I25.7- (Atherosclerosis of coronary artery bypass graft(s) and coronary artery of transplanted heart with angina pectoris). Make Sure Cardiologist Includes These Documentation Details Question 4: I’m new to cardiology. What are some documentation details I should check for if my cardiologist documents an atherosclerosis diagnosis? Answer: You must confirm in the medical documentation the specific area of the atherosclerosis — whether it is within the native artery or documented to be within the artery or vein graft. You must confirm if the patient also has angina pectoris and if so, what type. You must also know if the cardiologist mentions spasm, as well.
Cardiology Coding Alert
- CPT®:
5 Tips Show You How to Code Temporary Pacemakers, Revision of Skin Pockets
Report 33233 for the removal of a permanent pacemaker pulse generator. Pacemakers can be a [...] - Quiz:
Test Your Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease Smarts to Solidify Cardiology Claims
Be aware of the atherosclerosis and pectoris angina combo codes. When you are coding atherosclerotic [...] - Modifiers:
Distinguish Between Assistant Surgery Modifiers With This Handy Guide
Hint: Only append modifier AS in certain circumstances. Along with ICD-10-CM and CPT® codes, modifiers [...] - You Be the Coder:
Report This Code for Complete Cardiac Event Monitoring Service
Question: Can you explain to me what cardiac event monitors are and which procedure code [...] - Reader Questions:
Distinguish Between EMRs and EHRs
Question: At our practice, we often use the terms EMR and EHR interchangeably, but our [...] - Reader Questions:
Make Sure to Check CCI Edits
Question: I am trying to report code 33210 with code 33235, but Medicare has denied [...] - Reader Questions:
Understand Dx Code for Left Heart Cath
Question: The patient had a left heart catheterization, and on the second post-op day, the [...] - Reader Questions:
Hone in on Atrial Dilation ICD-10-CM
Question: I’m looking through my cardiologist’s medical documentation, and she included a primary diagnosis of [...] - Reader Questions:
Follow Advice to Avoid Medicare Denials
Question: We recently got a Medicare claim denied for invalid patient information? What’s going on [...]
