General Surgery Coding Alert

Don't expect code descriptor changes when new system kicks off in 2013.

A personal history of colon cancer can significantly impact a patient's risk for future disease, so accurately capturing the history with diagnosis codes is crucial.

With ICD-9, you currently code personal history of colorectal cancer with V10.05 (Personal history of malignant neoplasm of large intestine).

ICD-10 difference: When ICD-9-CM shifts to ICD-10-CM in Oct. 1, 2013, code V10.05 will change to Z85.038 (Personal history of other malignant neoplasm of large intestine). Bearing the same descriptor -- except for the word "other" added in ICD-10, you should regard your Z85.038 the same way as you do the ICD-9 code V10.05.

Documentation: According to ICD-10-CM, Z85.038 is applicable to conditions classifiable to parent code C18 (Malignant neoplasm of colon), which includes 'child' codes such as:

• C18.0 -- Malignant neoplasm of cecum
• C18.1 -- Malignant neoplasm of appendix
• C18.2 -- Malignant neoplasm of ascending colon
• C18.3 -- Malignant neoplasm of hepatic flexure
• C18.4 -- Malignant neoplasm of transverse colon
• C18.5 -- Malignant neoplasm of splenic flexure
• C18.6 -- Malignant neoplasm of descending colon
• C18.7 -- Malignant neoplasm of sigmoid colon
• C18.8 -- Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of colon
• C18.9 -- Malignant neoplasm of colon, unspecified.

Coding tips: ICD-9 guidelines state that you should use history codes (i.e., V10.05) as the reason for an encounter when a condition needs to be monitored for recurrence. You will follow the same guidelines for history codes when ICD-10 begins on Oct. 1, 2013.