Pulmonology Coding Alert

Hint: Choose from different codes for edema due to a cardiac cause. Frequently, your pulmonologist will rule out a cardiac condition causing pulmonary edema -- you will need to be thoroughly aware of how to report a diagnosis of unspecified edema of the lung using ICD-10 codes to utilize them when this coding system comes into use Oct. 1, 2014. Choose From Two Different Codes Depending on Chronicity in ICD-9 In ICD-9, you will have to choose the code depending on whether the unspecified pulmonary edema is acute or chronic. If your pulmonologist confirms that the condition is acute, you will have to report the diagnosis with 518.4 ( Acute edema of lung unspecified). For chronic unspecified pulmonary edema, you have to choose a totally different code, 514 (Pulmonary congestion and hypostasis). Reminder: You will have to choose from these diagnosis codes only if the condition is due to an [...]