Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: May I report M8470/1 on the claim form, or do I have to use the neoplasm table?

Codify Member

Answer: You should not report morphology code M8470/1 on the claim form you send to the payer. Instead, use the neoplasm table to locate the most likely ICD-9 code, and then confirm your choice by checking the ICD-9 tabular list.

The morphology code you indicate represents mucinous cystadenoma, borderline malignancy, according to Appendix A of ICD-9-CM. So you should report the appropriate uncertain behavior neoplasm ICD-9 code, based on the anatomic site.

Morphology codes: These codes are used for tumor registry, and although you can't report them on claims as diagnosis codes, you can "translate" them to help you choose your ICD-9 codes if you know how.

The morphology codes begin with the letter M followed by five digits. The first four digits identify the neoplasm histologic type, such as adenoma or lipoma. A slash and fifth digit follow, indicating the behavior of each neoplasm, corresponding to the ICD-9 neoplasm table:

• /0 benign (ICD-9 sections 210-229)
• /1 unspecified for categories M8000-M8004 (ICD-9section 239)
• /1 uncertain for categories M8010+ (ICD-9 sections 235-238)
• /2 carcinoma in situ (ICD-9 sections 230-234) (also called intraepithelial, noninfiltrating, or noninvasive)
• /3 primary malignant (ICD-9 sections 140-195, 200-208)
• /6 secondary malignant (ICD-9 sections 196-198).