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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

READER QUESTION ~ Report 041.11 Without Site

Published on Fri Jan 13, 2006

Question: What is MRSA sepsis, and how should I code it?

Kentucky Subscriber Answer: -MRSA- stands for -methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus- infection. If you don't know the specific site of the infection, you should report the condition using 041.11 (Bacterial infection in conditions classified elsewhere and of unspecified site; staphylococcus aureus).
 
If the physician did designate the exact location, you would report the code for the anatomic site. 

Additionally, you would report V09.0 (Infection with microorganisms resistant to penicillins) to show that the bacteria are meth-resistant.

Tip: You won't be able to look up this condition in your ICD-9 manual -- at least not by any terms that the physician's notes have given you -- so you may want to keep a cheat sheet of this information.
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