Neurosurgery Coding Alert

See how your answers to the quiz match with the experts’.

Have you nailed down proper ICD-10 bacterial meningitis coding? Check your progress by reviewing the answers to the quiz on page 42.

Answer 1: The correct answer is option a.

You report ICD-10 code G00.0 (Hemophilus meningitis) for meningitis caused by Hemophilus influenza.

The ICD-9 code for this condition is 320.0 (Hemophilus meningitis). There is a one-to-one match in ICD-10 for codes for bacterial meningitis. The codes also share the descriptors. Table 1 lists the codes you can choose for bacterial meningitis.

Answer 2: The correct answer is option c.

For meningitis caused by Bacteroides fragilis, you report ICD-9 code 320.81 (Anaerobic meningitis). This code applies to meningitis caused by gram-negative anaerobes and Bacteroides. The corresponding ICD-10 code is G00.8 (Other bacterial meningitis). One important change in the ICD-10 descriptor is that unlike the descriptor for ICD-9 code 320.81, it does not specifically indicate ‘anaerobic’ meningitis.

Also note: If your physician does not specify the type of gram-negative bacteria that caused the meningitis, you turn to ICD-9 code 320.82 (Meningitis due to gram-negative bacteria not elsewhere classified). This corresponds to ICD-10 code G00.9 (Bacterial meningitis, unspecified).

Answer 3: The correct answer is option b.

Nonpyogenic meningitis is a condition where the meninges are inflamed but the cerebrospinal fluid is clear. When your physician documents a diagnosis of nonpyogenic meningitis, you report ICD-9 code 322.0 (Nonpyogenic meningitis). The corresponding ICD-10 code is G03.0 (Nonpyogenic meningitis).

Answer 4: The correct answer is option d.

For meningitis due to Bacillus pyocyaneus, you report ICD-9 code 320.89 (Meningitis due to other specified bacteria). The corresponding ICD-10 code is G00.8 (Other bacterial meningitis).

Answer 5: The correct answer is option a.

When your physician does not specify the type of bacteria that caused the meningitis, you report ICD-9 code 320.9 (Meningitis due to unspecified bacterium). This code corresponds to the following two ICD-10 codes:

• G00.9, Bacterial meningitis, unspecified
• G04.2, Bacterial meningoencephalitis and meningomyelitis, not elsewhere classified

You report ICD-10 code G00.9 for meningitis and code G04.2 for meningoencephalitis and meningomyelitis.