General Surgery Coding Alert
V85 to Z68: Take a Straight BMI Path from ICD-9 to ICD-10
Adult codes still dominate.
With all the press on childhood obesity, ICD-10 still provides greater granularity for measures of adult body mass index (BMI). In fact, the new code set provides a near-perfect one-to-one correspondence with ICD-9 Codes.
Don't forget: CMS has announced a proposed implementation date change from Oct. 1, 2013 to Oct. 1, 2014 for the new diagnosis code set.
Expect Easy Crosswalk
Some ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversions require additional documentation, or even classifying conditions differently than you've been used to. That's not the case for BMI measures.
The only change relates to where the codes break (for instance, "less than 19" versus "19 or less"), and that more specific BMI incremental reporting begins with BMI 20 in ICD-10, as opposed to BMI 25 in ICD-9.
Here's the crosswalk breakdown:
General Surgery Coding Alert
- Bariatric Surgery:
Answer 4 Questions to Pick the Right Gastric Bypass Code
Centimeters count for some codes. Duodenal switch, Roux-en-Y, limb length ... let us help you [...] - Gastric Bypass:
Don't Count on Obesity for Medical Necessity
Look for co-morbid factors too. If your surgeon wants to get paid for bariatric surgery, [...] - ICD-10:
V85 to Z68: Take a Straight BMI Path from ICD-9 to ICD-10
Adult codes still dominate. With all the press on childhood obesity, ICD-10 still provides greater [...] - ICD-10 Outlook:
See How AMA and Provider Feedback Impact ICD-10 Delay
Don't let changes catch your surgery practice by surprise.CMS hasn't made a final announcement about [...] - E/M Reimbursement:
Don't Forfeit Pay by Choosing 'Safer' Office Visit Code
You might be committing fraud. Have you ever selected a lower-level evaluation and management (E/M) [...] - You Be the Coder:
Look to Relevant Codes for Payment
Question: Our surgeon treated a patient with an amputated right ear. The surgical procedure involved [...] - Reader Question:
Modifier 50: Know When "Times 2" Won't Fit the Bill
Question: Our surgeon performed a bilateral mastectomy for a Medicare patient. The right breast had [...] - Reader Question:
44120: Capture Enterectomy and Anastamosis
Question: Gallstone identified in med-jejunum causing bowel obstruction. Surgeon performed midline laparotomy and enterotomy, allowing [...] - Reader Question:
Document E/M Components for Consultation
Question: One of our surgeons was called into a surgery-in-progress to consult on a possible [...] - Reader Question:
Know When to Apply Anti-Markup Rule
Question: Our surgical group sometimes purchases lab tests from an outside lab and bill Medicare. [...] - Reader Question:
Convert Laparoscopic to Open Lymphadenectomy Code
Question: For a patient with abdominal lymphadenopathy, our surgeon performed a laparoscopic lymphadenectomy, removing several [...]
