Pulmonology Coding Alert

Question: I heard recently that the Federal Register released new proposed ICD-9 codes and that several are relevant to pulmonology. Can you shed lights on which ones we may need to know about for claims processing?

Georgia Subscriber

Answer: The good news is there are just a few proposed ICD-9 codes:

" 416.2 -- Chronic pulmonary embolism

" 453.50-453.89 -- Chronic and acute venous thromboembolic codes

" 768.70-786.73 -- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy codes

" 784.42 -- Dysphonia

" V87.44-V87.46 -- Personal history of inhaled, systemic steroid therapy and immunosuppressive therapy

" 33.73 -- Endoscopic insertion or replacement of bronchial valve(s), multiple lobes.

With the addition of 33.73 comes one revision of note to pulmonologists:

" 33.71 -- Endoscopic insertion or replacement of bronchial valve(s), single lobe.

If approved, these codes will go live on Oct. 1, 2009. Editors note:

Does this list still leave you wondering about how to delineate between different procedures? Contact the editor at stacieb@eliresearch.com to have your question answered in an upcoming issue.

Resource: View the full list of new ICD-9 codes at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-10458.pdf, starting on page 409.

--Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions were reviewed by Alan L. Plummer, MD, professor of medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta; and Carol Pohlig, BSN, RN, CPC, senior coding and education specialist at the University of Pennsylvania department of medicine in Philadelphia.