Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Changes are effective starting April 1.

This past January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its midyear code set updates for the 2024 ICD-10-CM code set. Even though the code set updates don’t include any new or revised codes, there is a change to be aware of when coding for asthma.

Nuts and bolts: Each year, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) creates updated ICD-10-CM files under the authorization of the World Health Organization (WHO). The files that are effective on April 1 of the current year replace the files implemented on Oct. 1 of the previous calendar year.

This April 1 ICD-10-CM release is effective from April 1, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2024.

“In 2021, CMS/CDC finalized the proposal to expand the April 1 ICD-10-CM update beyond the ‘emergent use’ that allowed only new diagnosis codes for emerging diseases (e.g., COVID) and new procedure codes (e.g., COVID vaccine),” says Carol Pohlig, BSN, RN, CPC, manager of coding and education in the department of medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “This would ensure timely and accurate information for providers to use in addressing patient care,” she added.

Details: Among the 2024 midyear updates is a change in Chapter 10, which affects the Excludes2 note under parent code J45.- (Asthma). You’ll assign J44.89 instead of J44.9 (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified) if the patient is also experiencing any of the following conditions:

• Asthma with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Chronic asthmatic (obstructive) bronchitis
• Chronic obstructive asthma

CMS also adds Other specified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (J44.89) to the J45.- Excludes2 note.

Remember: An Excludes2 note indicates that two or more conditions may exist at the same time, and you may report the conditions together if the provider has documented them.

Resource: Review the April 1, 2024 ICD-10-CM release at www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/Comprehensive-Listing-of-ICD-10- CM-Files.htm.