Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Look how many conditions the code will represent when ICD-10 goes into effect.

Diagnosis coding is simple when the physician diagnoses acute laryngitis: If no obstruction is present, you assign 464.00 (Acute laryngitis; without mention of obstruction). The code applies to patients with several types of laryngitis, provided they don't experience blockages of the passageway:

• Edematous laryngitis
• Hemophilus influenzae laryngitis
• Pneumococcal laryngitis
• Septic laryngitis
• Suppurative laryngitis
• Ulcerative laryngitis.

The code also applies to acute laryngitis not otherwise specified.

ICD-10 change: Once ICD-10 goes into effect, you'll use code J04.0 (Acute laryngitis) to report acute laryngitis without obstruction. ICD-10 has a broader description of acute laryngitis that doesn't include the explanatory phrase "without obstruction" in the descriptor. Also, ICD-10 asks you to report an additional code (B95-B97) to identify the infectious agent responsible for the acute laryngitis.››››››››››››

Remember, until a test confirms a condition, you should use signs-and-symptoms diagnoses rather than the diagnosis code for the condition itself. Look to your physician's documentation to guide your code selection.

Coder tip: If the patient follows a treatment plan, he or she should have a quick recovery from acute laryngitis. If the patient's symptoms have not resolved after approximately 3 weeks, however, the physician should evaluate the patient for chronic laryngitis. You currently code chronic laryngitis as 476.0, and will switch to J37.0 (Chronic laryngitis) under ICD-10.