General Surgery Coding Alert
Reader Question:
Use 'M' Codes at Payer/Facility Request
Published on Sat Sep 13, 2003
Question: What are "M" codes? Should I use them and, if so, when?
Answer: M codes (for example, M8000/0, Neoplasm, benign) are supplemental diagnosis codes (listed in Appendix A of ICD-9) that provide additional information in describing carcinoma and neoplasm morphology. Hospital tumor registries or cancer centers find these codes useful for tracking of tumor histology and behavior, but M codes will not gain you a reimbursement advantage, and payers normally do not require them. Never rely on an M code as a principle diagnosis, and unless you are specifically asked to use these codes by your payer or facility, you needn't worry about them.
California Subscriber
Other Articles in this issue of
General Surgery Coding Alert
- Are You Billing the Right ICD-9 Codes for Burns?
5 Guidelines you should alwaysfollow
If you're finding that assigning burn diagnosis [...] - Apply the 'Rule of Nines' With Better Than 99.99% Accuracy
To assign the required fourth and fifth digits for diagnosis category 948.xx, you must apply [...] - CMS Has Change of Heart on Proposed 'Mass Adjustment'
Good news for your surgery practice: You won't have to repay overpayments from CMS' delayed [...] - You Be the Coder:
Signs and Symptoms or 'Rule-Out' Diagnosis?
Question: The surgeon saw a pediatric patient in the ED with a very high fever [...] - Billing 'Starred' Procedures:
Report E/M Services During Global Periods to Boost Payment
What if you could bill for services, such as follow-up E/M care, that are part [...] - Beyond the Three R's
Experts advise you on choosing a consult category
After you've documented a request, reason and response, [...] - Subsequent Hospital Care:
Think 99231 Is the Only Option? Think Again
4 tips could keep your practice from losing more than $2,400
If you report 99231 for [...] - Payment for an ED Visit and a Hospital Admit on the Same Day?
Here's how
How can you code for optimal reimbursement if the surgeon sees a patient in [...] - Using Documentation Templates? Read This First
You have to base your ICD-9 coding on your physician's documentation, but that doesn't mean [...] - Learn the Fine Points of Coding Critical Care
Get more out of 99291 and 99292
Insufficient physician documentation - not your coding skills - [...] - Reader Question:
Bill Bronchoscopy With Thoracotomy
Question: Can I bill bronchoscopy with thoracotomy?
North Carolina Subscriber Answer: A surgeon may perform [...] - Reader Question:
Hematoma Isn't a Complication
Question: Six days ago, a patient underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Since then, the IV site [...] - Reader Question:
Use 'M' Codes at Payer/Facility Request
Question: What are "M" codes? Should I use them and, if so, when?
- Reader Question:
90846 Describes Psychiatric Services Only
Question: May I report 90846 if a physician meets with a patient's family to discuss [...] - Reader Question:
Include Chart Review in E/M
Question: A patient had her past medical records, containing more than 10 years of history, [...] - Reader Question:
2 Lesions? Code for Both
Question: The surgeon excised two benign lesions of about the same size (roughly 0.8 cm) [...] - Reader Question:
No Incision, No Modifier -53?
Question: Prior to surgery, we established general anesthesia, but the patient began breathing erratically and [...] - Reader Question:
Render an Opinion on Confirmatory Consults
Question: Can a transfer of service take place when we conduct a confirmatory consult? How [...] - Reader Question:
Who Specified What?
Question: What do "NEC" and "NOS" mean in ICD-9 coding? How should I select between [...]
View All
