Pulmonology Coding Alert
Get Specific When COPD Patient Has Bronchitis
Question: One of our COPD patients presented with bronchitis. Our pulmonologist wants to only report J44.0 (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute lower respiratory infection) but the coder wants to report additional codes. Who is correct? Codify Subscriber Answer: The coder is correct in this case. When your physician documents both chronic obstructive bronchitis and an episode of acute bronchitis, you should sequence J44.0 first, but you’ll need to add an additional code to identify the infection, if known. This is due to the instruction for J44.0 to “Use additional code to identify the infection.” In this case, that code comes from the J20.- (Acute bronchitis) category, and if the type of acute bronchitis is not further specified, the code is J20.9 (Acute bronchitis, unspecified).
Pulmonology Coding Alert
- ICD-10-CM:
Proposed ICD-10 Codes Could Change Your Mesothelioma Coding in October
At last, coders may finally have a place to turn for secondary mesothelioma and other [...] - Coding Errors:
CMS: Pulmonologists Logged Sky-High Initial Hospital Visit Error Rates
Avoid making the same mistakes these doctors made. You see a patient in the hospital [...] - Appeals:
Did You Submit A Claim With Clerical Errors? Look to Reopening
You may not need a full appeal in this instance, MAC staffers advise. It’s a [...] - You Be the Coder:
Get Specific When COPD Patient Has Bronchitis
Question: One of our COPD patients presented with bronchitis. Our pulmonologist wants to only report J44.0 [...] - Reader Question:
Nail Down Chest PT Codes
Question: A patient with cystic fibrosis received chest physical therapy in the office, and the pulmonologist [...] - Reader Question:
Some Payers Will Reimburse Consults
Question: We saw a 55-year-old new patient who has been smoking for 30 years. She was [...] - Reader Question:
Be Ready to Answer EOB Questions
Question: One of our patients called the other day and asked us several questions about an [...] - Reader Question:
Spirometry Must Be Supported With Specific ICD-10 Codes
Question: We performed spirometry and the doctor wrote that it was for “chronic bronchitis,” but we [...]
