Pediatric Coding Alert

Plus: Check state laws to determine who can administer vaccinations.

With new codes come new coding challenges, and the freshly-debuted vaccine codes are no exception. In Vol. 13, No. 10 of Pediatric Coding Alert, we printed a vaccine chart to aid you in reporting these services using the new and revised codes for 2011. We heard from several subscribers who had questions about the chart, which prompted us to make several revisions to it.

Following is a revised vaccination chart for you to use when determining the correct vaccine code to use. If you'd like to see the chart showing the corrections that we made to the version that we previously published, visit http://codingnews.inhealthcare.com/hot-coding-topics/cpt-2011-vaccine-product-to-90460-90461-crosswalk/.

In addition, our article regarding these new codes noted that licensed practical nurses and medical technicians can provide the vaccine counseling services as described by codes 90460-90461. However, it's important to point out that the final determination on which practitioners can perform counseling is determined on an individual state-by-state basis according to the state-defined scope of practice.

How to Use This Chart

Find the product name for a quick cross-reference to how many components the vaccine includes and the administration with counseling code combination to report using the new pediatric/adolescent codes.

Note: The ICD-9 vaccine product code listed in the chart uses the generalized vaccine product code (V06.8, Need for prophylactic vaccination and inoculation against other combinations of diseases). For vaccine administration provided outside of a preventive medicine service, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using V06.8 for combination vaccines.