Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Have multiple primary neoplasms that don't touch? Follow this rule.

The American Cancer Society expects more than 47,000 new cases of uterine corpus cancer to be diagnosed in 2012. Prepare yourself to code for these patients in 2012 and 2013 with the information below.

Review the following table to see which ICD-10-CM codes cross to the ICD-9-CM codes you use for 2012 dates of service.

Documentation: The most important change you'll need to prepare for relates to 182.0 crossing to four different codes. Your ICD-10-CM options differ based on the specific anatomic site involved: endometrium, myometrium, or fundus uteri. If the documentation doesn't specify the site, you will have to use unspecified code C54.9. The easier your documentation templates make it for the physician to identify the specific site, the easier your job will be when you start using ICD-10-CM.

Coder tip: Code C54.8 is appropriate for "overlapping sites." If the patient has multiple primary neoplasms and the sites are not contiguous, you should report a separate code for each site, according to a note that applies to all of ICD-10-CM Chapter 2: Neoplasms (C00-D49).

Remember: When ICD-10-CM goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2013, you should apply the code set and official guidelines in effect for the date of service reported. Learn more at www.cms.gov/ICD10/ and www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm#10update.