Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Remember to choose the code with the highest specificity.

Currently, you have one way to report an impacted cerumen, but that changes when ICD-10 goes into effect. You will have to scan your physician's notes to determine where this condition occurs.

Impacted cerumen, otherwise known as wax in the ear, can affect both children and adults. The condition occurs when layers of wax within the ear canal build up in the point of blocking the canal and putting pressure on the eardrum. Cerumen is most likely to become impacted when it is pushed against the eardrum by objects people put in their ears, or when it is trapped against the eardrum by a hearing aid. Less common causes include overproduction of earwax or an abnormally narrow ear canal that tends to trap the wax.

Partial loss of hearing is the most important symptom of cerumen impaction. Other symptoms can be itching, tinnitus (noise or ringing in the ears), a sensation of fullness in the ear, and pain in the ear (otalgia). In children younger than one year, cerumen impaction is sometimes discovered during a routine check-up when the doctor finds that the earwax is blocking his or her view of the eardrum.

ICD-9-CM: ICD-9-CM provides a single diagnosis code for impacted cerumen: 380.4 (Impacted cerumen). The ICD-9 manual also directs you to report an additional external cause code, if applicable, to identify the cause of the ear condition.

ICD-10-CM: Look to the H61.2- (Impacted cerumen) series of codes. The fourth digit specify the affected ear:

• H61.20, Impacted cerumen, unspecified ear
• H61.21, Impacted cerumen, right ear
• H61.22, Impacted cerumen, left ear
• H61.23, Impacted cerumen, bilateral

Documentation: Physicians typically make a diagnosis of impacted cerumen by examining the patient's ear canal and eardrum with an otoscope. Irrigation is the most common method of removing impacted cerumen; the process involves washing out the ear canal with water from a commercial irrigator or a syringe with a catheter attached. After irrigating the ear, the physician applies antibiotic ear drops to protect the ear from infection.

If irrigation is not an option or if it fails to remove the cerumen, the physician can remove the wax with a vacuum device or curette (a small, scoop-shaped instrument). The physician uses the curette to ease the impacted wax away from the sides of the ear canal.

Physicians will need to be more detailed in their documentation of impacted cerumen by noting which ear is affected.

Coder Tips: Check the chart documentation regarding the tactic used for wax removal and the provider who performed the procedure. Those factors won't change the diagnosis code you report, but will guide which CPT procedure code you report.

On your superbill, list each of the available diagnosis options for impacted cerumen to prompt the physician to enter the necessary information. Let your practitioners know that they will need to include details regarding which ear has impacted cerumen so you don't have to report the 'unspecified' diagnosis. Abbreviated options on your superbill could include:

XXXXXX, Imp cerumen, unspec

XXXXXX, Imp cerumen, R

XXXXXX, Imp cerumen, L

XXXXXX, Imp cerumen, bilat.