Practice Management Alert

Answer: Updates have been swift in the face of COVID-19, and there is now a dedicated ICD-10 code for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; this is updated information from the previous issue of Practice Management Alert. As of April 1, use ICD-10 code U07.1 (2019-ncov acute respiratory disease). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the National Emergencies Act, section 201 and 301, announced that it is moving the effective date of the new diagnosis code from Oct. 1, 2020, to April 1, 2020.

“This off-cycle update is unprecedented and is an exception to the code set updating process established under HIPAA,” stresses the CDC in a release (www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/icd/Announcement-New-ICD-code-for-coronavirus-3-18-2020.pdf).

The following provides more information from the release:

Important: The CDC guidance stressed that you should not use B34.2 (Coronavirus infection, unspecified) for confirmed cases of COVID-19, with this rationale: “the cases have universally been respiratory in nature, so the site would not be ‘unspecified.’”

However, for confirmed COVID-19 as the cause of, or associated with, diseases classified elsewhere: Use B97.29 (Other coronavirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere) as the secondary code in addition to the appropriate code for the other condition. For example, you would assign a patient diagnosed with acute bronchitis due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 with codes J20.8 (Acute bronchitis due to other specified organisms) and B97.29.

Suspected or confirmed exposure to COVID-19: Use Z03.818 (Encounter for observation for suspected exposure to other biological agents ruled out) for cases where there is initially a concern about a possible exposure to COVID-19, but the provider rules it out after evaluation.

Report Z20.828 (Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other viral communicable diseases) for cases where there is an actual exposure to someone who is confirmed to have COVID-19.

Coding tip: If the provider documents “suspected,” “possible,” or “probable” COVID-19, do not assign code B97.29. Assign a code(s) explaining the reason for encounter (such as fever or Z20.828), according to the CDC.