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Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Medicaid May Still Require 2007 Codes

Published on Mon Mar 17, 2008

Question: I've been getting Medicaid denials for 2008 diagnosis codes. Wasn't I supposed to start using these codes in October?New York SubscriberAnswer: Although 2008 ICD-9 codes officially went into effect on Oct. 1, 2007, some payers are slower to adopt them than others and may require you to continue using 2007 codes until a later date.Coders report individual Medicaid carriers requiring them to use 2007 codes as late as April and June of 2008.Other lucky coders say they're able to start reporting 2008 codes to Medicaid without denials.What to do: Unless your payer tells you otherwise in writing, begin using updated ICD-9 codes Oct. 1. If you receive denials for the updated codes, contact your carrier and verify which code set it requires you to use. If the carrier wants you to report last year's codes, ask for this instruction in writing, including the date that you should begin using the updated codes.
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