Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Question: Would you help me find a diagnosis code for a gestational carrier/surrogate? These patients are not infertility patients, but they agree to carry the pregnancy for an infertility patient (surrogate). Is there a more specific code to report other than V26.89 for other procreative management? Texas Subscriber Answer: You-ll use V26.89 (Other specified procreative management) only for actual management. If this is the insemination visit, then that is the diagnosis. Remember: Being a surrogate is not a disease condition.-The fact that this patient is pregnant is the reason the ob-gyn is seeing her. That she is a surrogate has no bearing on her care for the pregnancy.-If you are coding for managing the pregnancy, use the usual codes.- If you are counseling the couple about using a surrogate or counseling a surrogate about becoming pregnant, you can use V26.49 (Other procreative management, counseling and advice).- -- The answers for Reader Questions and You Be the Coder were provided by Melanie Witt, RN, CPC-OGS, MA, an ob-gyn coding expert based in Guadalupita, N.M.