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Diagnosis Coding:

GET READY FOR 141 NEW ICD-9 CODES EFFECTIVE OCT. 1

Published on Wed Apr 22, 2009

Some of the new codes may help you with ICD-10. With ICD-10 looming around the corner, don't forget that you still have to keep up with ICD-9 updates, too. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued 141 new diagnosis codes for you to use starting Oct. 1.Most of the new codes will offer additional specificity to existing diseases, which can help you code more accurately. "Any time we get diagnosis codes that provide additional specificity, I think that is great," says Marvel J. Hammer of MJH Consulting in Denver. You'll find new codes in most categories, ranging from oncology (such as the 209.31-209.36 series, Merkel cell carcinoma) to orthopedics (813.46-813.47, Torus fracture). You'll also find an expansion of the 799.2 (Nervousness) section, with new codes for irritability (799.22), impulsiveness (799.23), and demoralization and apathy (799.25), among others. "The new fifth digit ICD-9 codes can be used to report [...]
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