Otolaryngology Coding Alert

B35-B49: Set Your Mycoses ICD-10 Coding Straight

Alphanumeric code B44.9 will replace ICD-9 117.3 for aspergillosis.

A mycosis is any bodily infection caused by parasitic fungus, which may be treated with any one of the numerous fungal antiobiotics. ICD-9-CM classifies mycoses under the 110-118 category.

When ICD-9-CM shifts to ICD-10-CM in 2013, mycoses will be classified under the Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases category, with the following subcategories:

• B35 -- Dermatophytosis;
• B36 -- Other superficial mycoses;
• B37 -- Candidiasis;
• B38 -- Coccidioidomycosis;
• B39 -- Histoplasmosis;
• B40 -- Blastomycosis;
• B41 -- Paracoccidioidomycosis;
• B42 -- Sporotrichosis;
• B43 -- Chromomycosis and pheomycotic abscess;
• B44 -- Aspergillosis;
• B45 -- Cryptococcosis;
• B46 -- Zygomycosis;
• B47 -- Mycetoma;
• B48 -- Other mycoses, not elsewhere classified;
• B49 -- Unspecified mycosis.

ICD difference: The coding rules related to mycoses will be generally the same in ICD-10-CM as in ICD-9-CM. The two major changes in the ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM code sets are structure and detail. The codes will move from a numeric five-character size to an alphanumeric seven-character size (aspergillosis, for example: from 117.3 in ICD-9-CM to B44.9 in ICD-10-CM).

Code tips: Mycoses usually affect immunocompromised individuals or those with deficiency in fighting infection (e.g., chemotherapy patients, transplant recipients, and those with HIV infection or other debilitating diseases). The first symptoms of many of the mycotic diseases are flu-like symptoms of fever (780.60, Fever unspecified), chills (780.64, Chills without fever), cough (786.2), pain in muscles and joints (729.1, Myalgia and myositis unspecified).