EM Coding Alert

Rely on the note to get information you need to choose either K21.0 or K21.9.Rely on the note to get information you need to choose either K21.0 or K21.9.

If your office sees patients who complain of acid reflux and heartburn frequently, you will want to get comfortable with the new coding changes with ICD-10 in October.

ICD-9: You currently use ICD-9 530.81 (Esophageal reflux) on your gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) claims.

ICD-10: This fall, the one ICD-9 code will break out into two ICD-10 codes, depending on whether or not the patient has esophagitis, as follows:

• K21.0 — Gastro-esophageal reflux disease with esophagitis
• K21.9 — ... without esophagitis

Keep in mind: To pick the correct code with ICD-10, you need to look in the note for mention of inflammation of the esophagus found during an endoscopic exam. That will tell you whether the GERD is with or without esophagitis.