Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Here’s how to sequence this diagnosis code.

When a patient develops a breast abscess three months after her delivery due to an inverted nipple that was problematic during her pregnancy, you’ll have to assign a late effect code.

Currently, you would report 677 (Late effect of complication of pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium).

ICD-10-CM: When your diagnosis coding system changes, you will report O94 (Sequelae of complication of pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium). That’s the letter "O" and not the number "0." According to the ICD-10 Guidelines, you should report O94 when an initial complication of a pregnancy develops a sequelae requiring care or treatment at a future date.

Heads up: You have a one-to-one correlation between 677 and O94. However, note how "late effect" is retermed as "Sequelae."

Documentation: Here is how you will find this code in the Alphabetic Index:

Sequelae (of) - see also condition

- childbirth O94

- obstetrical condition O94

- pregnancy O94

- puerperium O94

Coder Tips: You can use this code at any time after the initial postpartum period. Also, you should sequence this code, like all late effects code, second after the code describing the sequelae of the complication.