General Surgery Coding Alert

4 steps paint complete ICD-9 picture for hernia repair patient. The medical record documents a diabetic patient with an inguinal hernia and a resolved thrombophlebitis incident. You're coding for the hernia repair -- what diagnosis code(s) should you use? A surgical patient's seemingly unrelated condition could impact the level of care. You need to tell the whole story of coexisting conditions when you select ICD-9 codes for a case. "The real issue from the perspective of ICD-9 Coding Clinic is when and which co-morbidities you need to code," says John F. Bishop, PA-C, CPC, MS, CWS, president of Tampa, Fla.-based Bishop and Associates. Obey the following ICD-9 guidelines to make sure you capture pertinent diagnostic information and cut through extraneous patient background: 1. Select Principal Diagnosis or 'First Listed' Whether for inpatient or outpatient surgery, you need to zero in on the reason for the procedure when you select a claim's first [...]