Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Find out how revisions to existing codes help you avoid mistakes

You-ve got a whole slew of V codes to learn by Oct. 1, and here's what's important to you.

Reminder: -V codes deal with occasions when the ob-gyn records circumstances other than a disease or injury as the reason for a patient encounter,- says Gloria Kirkham, CPC, OGS, coding specialist at Womens Health Partnership PC in Carmel, Ind.

Here's a list of the new V codes you need to know:

• V13.22 -- Personal history of cervical dysplasia
• V16.52 -- Family history of malignant neoplasm; bladder
• V25.04 -- Encounter for contraceptive management; counseling and instruction in natural family planning to avoid pregnancy
• V26.41 -- Procreative counseling and advice using natural family planning
• V26.49 -- Other procreative management counseling and advice
• V26.81 -- Encounter for assisted reproductive fertility procedure cycle. Heads up: The notes here state, -Patient undergoing in vitro fertilization cycle. Use additional code to identify the type of infertility. Excludes: Pre-cycle diagnosis and testing -- code to reason for encounter.-
• V26.89 -- Other specified procreative management
• V68.01 -- Disability examination. The notes here say, -Use additional code(s) to identify: specific examination(s), screening and testing performed (V72.0-V82.9).-
• V68.09 -- Other issue of medical certificates
• V73.81 -- Special screening examination for viral and chlamydial diseases; other specified viral and chlamydial diseases; human papillomavirus (HPV)
• V84.81 -- Genetic susceptibility to multiple endocrine neoplasia [MEN]
• V84.89 -- Genetic susceptibility to other disease.

Get this: Prior to Oct. 1, if the physician orders or the lab performs any of the tests to detect the human papillomavirus (87620-87622), your only available diagnostic code is V73.89. After Oct. 1, if your ob-gyn orders such testing, you will assign V73.81

Read These Important Revisions

You should also examine the revisions ICD-9 2008 makes to pre-existing codes.

For instance, you probably know how to use V72.31 (Routine gynecological examination) backward and forward, but ICD-9 2008 revises the specifications underneath the code to say, -Use additional code to identify: human papillomavirus (HPV) screening (V73.81), routine vaginal Papanicolaou smear (V76.47).- What this means: You should never mistake V72.31 as including HPV screening again. You-ll use new code V73.81 instead.

You shouldn't confuse V76.2 (Special screening for malignant neoplasms; cervix) as a code for HPV screening either because this code now carries a notation that you should look to V73.81 instead.

Last, V74.5 (Special screening examination for bacterial and spirochetal diseases; venereal disease) isn't a new code, but you-ve got new notations underneath. This code includes screening for bacterial and spirochetal sexually transmitted diseases and screening for sexually transmitted diseases NOS, but it excludes special screening for nonbacterial sexually transmitted diseases (V73.81-V73.89, V75.4, V75.8).