Pulmonology Coding Alert
Defining Acute vs. Chronic Will Determine Your Pansinusitis Coding
Question: I have an op note that documents the patient’s condition as “pansinusitis.” What code do I use to report this? Arkansas Subscriber Answer: You’ll need to revisit the documentation or consult the physician to get more information. Pansinusitis is a condition in which inflammation occurs in the air-filled spaces beneath the facial contours. The documentation should indicate whether the sinusitis is acute or sudden onset; or whether the symptoms are chronic, and the patient has presented symptoms for an extended period. If the report identifies the pansinusitis as acute, then you will use either J01.40 (Acute pansinusitis, unspecified) or J01.41 (Acute recurrent pansinusitis) depending on whether it’s documented that the condition is a recurrent problem or not. If the op note indicates that the patient has a case of chronic pansinusitis, then you’ll use code J32.4 (Chronic pansinusitis). And if the physician does not mention any specific type of pansinusitis, you can still use J32.4 as Pansinusitis NOS is a synonym for the code.
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