Pediatric Coding Alert

Save yourself the hassle of sorting through the 2004 ICD-9 manual with this list of the most-pertinent pediatric diagnostic changes. Update your encounter form and computer system with the following codes and avoid out-of-date code denials.

Although most insurers wait until January to update their systems, you should update your superbills and start assigning the new codes Oct. 1, says Jaime Darling, CPC, pediatric coder for Graybill Medical Group, which has four pediatricians, in Escondido, Calif. If an insurer denies the code, resubmit the claim with a copy of ICD-9 2004's implementation date. Refiling the claim is easier than having to rebill with an updated code, she says.

For a complete list of changes, visit the Web site www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/icd9code.asp.