Reader Questions:
790.93 Describes Elevated PSA
Published on Tue Oct 12, 2010
Question: Our center performs its own diagnostic PSA tests for patients diagnosed with BPH based on urinary retention and frequency. What diagnosis code(s) should we use for the test results?Ohio SubscriberAnswer: If the physician confirms an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) result, you should report the diagnosis code that supports those findings -- 790.93 (Elevated prostate specific antigen [PSA]). (Remember to consider the physician's interpretation of the lab results when choosing your code.)Normal PSA is different: On the other hand, if the physician notes the PSA findings are normal, you should report the reason for the test -- benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Based on the urinary symptoms, the proper code in this case would be 600.01 (Hypertrophy [benign] of prostate with urinary obstruction and other lower urinary tract symptoms [LUTS]). You should report additional codes to identify symptoms, according to ICD-9 instruction. For this case, you would list 788.20 (Retention of urine, [...]
