Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Question: We are seeing Lynch syndrome cases. What are the best diagnosis codes to use for Lynch Syndrome as we didn’t find a specific code for that in ICD-10? Please explain the condition.

New York Subscriber

Answer: There is no direct diagnosis code for lynch syndrome as the final coding will depend on the exact nature of the patient’s condition.

The simple answer is that to code Lynch Syndrome, you can report Z15.09 (Genetic susceptibility to other malignant neoplasm).

You may need additional codes to complete the coding. For instance, if the patient currently has a malignant neoplasm, you should code that neoplasm first, particularly to conditions classifiable to codes C15-C26 (Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs), such as C18.2 (Malignant neoplasm of ascending colon). Or if the patient has a history of a malignant neoplasm, you should report a code to indicate this, such as Z85.038 (Personal history of other malignant neoplasm of large intestine). Given the nature of the condition, perhaps the patient has family history of cancer documented. If so, you should report this, as well, using the appropriate codes, such as Z80.0 (Family history of malignant neoplasm of digestive organs) or Z84.81 (Family history of carrier of genetic disease).

Lynch Syndrome, also called hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), is an inherited condition that increases a patient’s chance of getting cancer of the digestive tract, particularly the colon and rectum colon People with Lynch syndrome also have an increased risk of cancers of the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder ducts, upper urinary tract, brain, skin, and prostate.