Primary Care Coding Alert

Question: What is the ICD-9 code for "hot flushes?"

New York Subscriber

Answer: The code depends on whether you have specifics about the hot flushes.

Flushing/hot flushes is not a definitive diagnosis but rather a symptom. It is described as a reddening of the face due to varied reasons. It appears several times in ICD-9 including:

• 782.62 -- Flushing

• 259.2 -- Carcinoid syndrome

• 627.2 -- Symptomatic menopausal or female climacteric states.

Codes 259.2 and 627.2 are more specific while 782.62 is used for all the other causes of flushing. For instance, if documentation indicates the hot flushes are because the patient is experiencing menopause, you would use 627.2.

For flushing documented as related to carcinoid syndrome, which occurs when a rare cancerous tumor called a carcinoid tumor secretes certain chemicals into the bloodstream causing a variety of symptoms, you would use 259.2. When you don't have more specific information about the symptom's cause, you would use 782.62.