Question: How do I choose between V58.11 and V58.12?Illinois SubscriberAnswer: Distinguishing chemotherapy from immunotherapy will help you decide whether V58.11 (Encounter for antineoplastic chemotherapy) or V58.12 (Encounter for antineoplastic immunotherapy) belongs on your claim.Immunotherapy stimulates the body's ability to fight disease. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, attacks cancer cells. You should refer to individual payer guidelines for a complete list of drugs that qualify as immunotherapy. The American Cancer Society lists the cytokine IFN-alfa (J9214, Injection, interferon, alfa-2b, recombinant, 1 million units) and the monoclonal antibody rituximab (J9310, Injection, rituximab, 100 mg), among many others (
www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/eto_1_3_Immunotherapy.asp).Remember: ICD-9 guidelines instruct you to report V58.1x codes as the primary code if the encounter is solely for chemotherapy or immunotherapy. If the patient receives both antineoplastic chemotherapy and antineoplastic immunotherapy at the same encounter, ICD-9 guidelines indicate that you may report both codes in any order.Also, V58.11 and V58.12 are specific to [...]
