Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: Code 599.71 is for "gross" hematuria. What does that mean?

Kansas Subscriber

Answer: In medicine, terms such as gross and macroscopic are used to refer to things large enough to be seen without a microscope. So in this context "gross" means visible to the naked eye. In some cases, the patient's urine may be pink, red, or brownish in color. It doesn't take many red-blood cells to change the urine color in this way. In other cases, the patient may pass perceptible clots. When blood in the urine is visible to the eye, you should report 599.71 (Gross hematuria).

In contrast, if the blood is only visible when the urine is examined under a microscope, you should report 599.72 (Microscopic hematuria). Often the blood is discovered when the physician is testing for another condition, such as infection.

Another hematuria coding option is 599.70 (Hematuria, unspecified). Use this code if you cannot get the needed information to choose between microscopic and gross hematuria.