Hint: Look elsewhere for anemia due to iron-deficiency.
Anemia is a condition that occurs when the number of red blood cells (RBCs) and/or the amount of hemoglobin found in the red blood cells drops below normal. A low hematocrit or hemoglobin level can indicate the presence of anemia.
ICD-9-CM Code: Right now, you should report this condition with 285.9 (Anemia unspecified).
ICD-10-CM Code: When your diagnosis coding system changes in 2014, this code will become D64.9 (Anemia, unspecified). Good news: You have a one-to-one correlation between 285.9 and D64.9. These definitions remain the same, although the code itself changes in 2014.
Documentation: If the patient has anemia due to acute blood loss or chronic/unspecified blood loss, the coder should report alternate codes. Also anemia due to iron deficiency has its own code range.
Here’s how you’ll find your code in the Alphabetic Index:
Anemia (essential) (general) (hemoglobin deficiency) (infantile) (primary) (profound) D64.9
- atypical (primary) D64.9
- idiopathic D64.9
- normocytic (infectional) D64.9
- postoperative (postprocedural)
-- specified NEC D64.9
- progressive D64.9
Deficiency, deficient
- hemoglobin D64.9
Hemoglobin —see also condition
- low NOS D64.9
Low
- hematocrit D64.9
- hemoglobin D64.9
OligocythemiaD64.9
Coding tips: If the physician documents anemia that’s due to a reason that does not have a specific cause, then you should refer to D64.9.