Dermatology:
172 Update: Look for C43, D03 Melanoma Families in ICD-10
Published on Thu Sep 13, 2012
Also: Big changes coming to in situ coding.Even though ICD-10 implementation has been delayed, it doesn't mean you still shouldn't be preparing -- especially with these drastic changes coming to your skin melanoma coding.You'll need to be ready for an important melanoma coding distinction once you're required to use the new code set, which has a proposed implementation date of Oct. 1, 2014.Code for SiteICD-9 provides one code family for melanoma of skin (excluding skin of genital organs or sites other than skin): 172.x (Malignant melanoma of skin). A fourth digit designates the melanoma site as follows:172.0 -- Lip172.1 -- Eyelid, including canthus172.3 -- Other and unspecified parts of face172.4 -- Scalp and neck172.5 -- Trunk, except scrotum172.6 -- Upper limb, including shoulder172.7 -- Lower limb, including hip172.8 -- Other specified sites of skin172.9 -- Site unspecified.ICD-10 provides similar site-specific codes in the family C43 (Malignant melanoma of skin). You'll have more site specificity with the new codes, however, because [...]