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ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Reader Questions:

Remember V Code for MRSA Patients

Published on Sun Mar 16, 2008

Question: A patient arrives in the ED in a critical state. The ED physician provides 38 minutes of critical care to stabilize the patient, and makes a diagnosis of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). What are the proper diagnosis codes for this condition? Connecticut Subscriber Answer: You-ll need a pair of ICD-9 codes to account for MRSA, a very serious infection that is antibiotic-resistant and can lead to even more severe infections. If left unchecked, the condition can devolve into a "flesh-eating" necrotizing fasciitis infection. On the claim, report the following: - 99291 (Critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient; first 30-74 minutes) for the critical care - 041.11 (Staphylococcus aureus) linked to 99291 to identify the infection - V09.0 (Infection with microorganisms resistant to penicillins) linked to 99291 to show that the infection is drug-resistant.
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