Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: I’ve seen bone marrow edema (BME) documented quite a bit recently, but I’ve received conflicting answers on how to code for it, such as R60.9, D75.89, or even M89.9. Which of these is correct?

AAPC Forum Participant

Answer: Using either R60.9 (Edema, unspecified), D75.89 (Other specified diseases of blood and blood-forming organs), or M89.9 (Disorder of bone, unspecified) to document BME would be incorrect.

Instead, according to American Hospital Association (AHA) ICD-10 Coding Clinic Volume 7, Number 1 (2020), you’ll code BME in one of two ways depending on whether it’s caused by an underlying condition.

For BME caused by an underlying condition, Coding Clinic tells you to code only the underlying condition, such as osteoarthritis, a fracture, or an infection.

For idiopathic BME, Coding Clinic tells you to use a sign and symptom code: R93.6 (Abnormal findings on diagnostic imaging of limbs).