Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: What’s the correct diagnosis code for a negative anal Pap screening?

New York Subscriber

Answer: When your Pap test findings are negative, you should revert to the ordering diagnosis. Because you stated that this was a screening test, not a test for signs or symptoms, the ordering diagnosis was probably V76.41 (Screening for malignant neoplasm of the rectum).

If the Pap test resulted in abnormal findings, you would report those in addition to the screening diagnosis. For instance, you would report V79.41 to indicate that a screening test was ordered. You might also report a code such as 796.70 (Abnormal glandular papanicolaou smear of anus) to report any abnormal findings.