Pulmonology Coding Alert

Question: A patient presented with a runny nose, nasal congestion, and postnasal drip. The patient stated they don’t smoke cigarettes, but several of their coworkers regularly smoke cigarettes on their breaks. The physician diagnosed the patient with vasomotor rhinitis.

What diagnosis code do I need to assign?

Washington Subscriber

Answer: Assign J30.0 (Vasomotor rhinitis) to report the physician’s diagnosis. To locate the code, search for Rhinitis > vasomotor in the ICD-10-CM Alphabetic Index. You’ll then verify the code in the J30.- (Vasomotor and allergic rhinitis) code category of the Tabular List.

Vasomotor rhinitis is also considered nonallergic rhinitis or idiopathic rhinitis. The condition occurs when the nasal membranes become inflamed. The inflammation may be caused by several irritants, such as smog, perfume, weather changes, viral infections, or — as in this case — second-hand smoke.