Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Question: Our office is looking for an ICD-9 code for a patient that has normal pregnancies but is pregnant again less than a year after her last pregnancy. I could find only V23.9 for high risk, but nothing for short interval between pregnancies. What is the correct dx?

Tennessee Subscriber

Answer: You won't find an ICD-9 code to reflect this. Mother Nature determines (naturally) when the patient can become pregnant again, so this pregnancy is not a complication or a disease condition. If, however, the physician documents that the short recovery time puts her pregnancy at risk, you can use only V23.9 (Unspecified high-risk pregnancy).

Tip: Check the physician's notes. Was there any problem with any of the other pregnancies that might substitute for a different V23 code? You might find information there.