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Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Straighten Out Your 5th Digits for Abortion Codes

Published on Sat May 09, 2009

Question: A patient had fetal demise and delivered the fetus on the way to the hospital, but we had to perform a D&C because she continued bleeding. For the ICD-9 code, should I use a fifth digit of "1" or "2"? Kentucky Subscriber Answer: What digit you use depends on whether some products of conception remain. The ICD-9 guidelines for using abortion codes- fifth digit state the following: - A "1" (Incomplete) indicates that all of the products of conception have not been expelled from the uterus. - "2" (Complete) indicates that all products of conception have been expelled from the uterus.- Examples: You can have a spontaneous miscarriage of the fetus but with retained products of conception that your ob-gyn must remove surgically.-In that case, your fifth digit should be "1." If the patient had delivered the fetus and at the hospital the ob-gyn determined she expelled all of [...]
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