Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: The only information related to diagnosis we have for one of our new hematology patients is that he bruises easily, sometimes with no apparent reason. Tests have yet to confirm something more definitive.  Which ICD- 9 code should I report?Iowa SubscriberAnswer: Because the hematologist has yet to identify a specific disease, you'll need to report the patient's symptoms.For easy bruising with no identifiable cause, consider 782.7 (Spontaneous ecchymoses). An ecchymosis is a bruise larger than 1 centimeter. According to a note with the code, 782.7 applies also to petechia, which is a bruise less than 3 millimeters.Another option: A bruise less than 1 centimeter but not less than 3 millimeters is called a purpura, which has several other coding options (287.0-287.9, Purpura and other hemorrhagic conditions) depending on the etiology (meaning the cause or origin).An "easy bruising" individual may suffer from other diseases that predispose him to develop bruises [...]