Sail Through ICD-9 2010 Updates With This 3-Step Approach
Published on Wed Aug 26, 2009
Chronic embolism and new flu codes top the list of respiratory coding changes. Starting Oct. 1, you can start using several new diagnosis codes to describe a chronic pulmonary artery clot, unusual flu strains, and failed sedation procedures to better document your pulmonologist's services. Here's the skinny: 1. Differentiate Among PE Types Add 416.2 (Chronic pulmonary embolism) to your repertoire of diagnosis codes. Report the new pulmonary embolism code when a patient with unexplained dyspnea (786.09) or with a history of pulmonary hypertension (416.8) displays evidence of pulmonary embolism on a CT scan or pulmonary angiogram, without evidence of a recent event, explains Philip Marcus, MD, MPH, FACP, FCCP, chief of pulmonary medicine at the St. Francis Hospital Heart Center in Roslyn, N.Y. The difference: Use 416.2 to explain chronic symptoms, as opposed to the finding of a new, acute pulmonary embolism, which would necessitate reporting either 415.11 (Iatrogenic pulmonary [...]
