Advanced Search

Inpatient Facility Coding & Compliance Alert

Reader Questions:

Nuchal Cord Diagnosis Leads to POA of W

Published on Fri Apr 20, 2012

Question: I assigned a POA indicator of Y to a case where the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck before delivery. Our in-house auditor flagged it as incorrect. What did I do wrong?
Answer: Cases involving nuchal cords – when the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck – can be tricky to code. Although the provider might document a diagnosis of nuchal cord, no one knows exactly when it occurred (in-utero or at delivery). Because of this, the appropriate POA indicator for nuchal cord is W (Clinically undetermined). The associated diagnosis is 762.5 (Other compression of umbilical cord ).
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

Inpatient Facility Coding & Compliance Alert