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Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

162.x: OK for Pleural Effusion Case?

Published on Wed Mar 09, 2011

Question: Documentation indicates malignant pleural effusion in a patient with malignant cancer of the main bronchus. What codes would you bill in this case?Florida SubscriberAnswer: You should wait for the final diagnosis from cytology to confirm malignant effusion. But once confirmed, you should bill 511.81 (Malignant pleural effusion) to represent the malignant effusion. A note with 511.81 tells you to "code first malignant neoplasm, if known," such as 162.2 (Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung; main bronchus).Keep in mind: A malignant pleural effusion is caused by a cancerous invasion of the pleura. This could be due to cancer within the lung or metastatic disease from any other organ (such as the colon or kidney).
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