Home Health ICD-9/ICD-10 Alert
For Specific Location, Ask Physician
Question: Our patient's medical record includes the following diagnosis: "Chronic suppurative otitis media with perforation." I'm not sure which ICD-9 code to use. There is no indication of where the tympanic membrane is perforated, so I was going back and forth between 382.1 and 382.2. Then, since I don't know where the perforation is, I started looking at 382.3, but that doesn't include the perforation. Code 384.2x excludes otitis media with perforation, which is what I have. But I don't know where the perforation is, so I can't use 384.20 with 382.3. What should I do? -- Oklahoma Subscriber Answer: Chronic suppurative otitis media is a perforated tympanic membrane with persistent drainage from the middle ear. The medical record gives you enough information to list 382.3, which does include the perforation. This is a situation in which you need to call the physician and ask whether the perforation is at the superior, posterior or anterior margin of the ear drum if you want to be more specific than just perforated.
Home Health ICD-9/ICD-10 Alert
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