Urology Coding Alert

Watch your spelling with one tiny descriptor shift.

CMS has released the first look at updates to ICD-10-CM for the next year with so few changes to urology-associated diagnoses that they could be easy to miss. Here’s your quick look at the additions and deletions you’ll need to be aware of as a urology coder.

“With these changes (and any diagnosis selection), be sure to pay attention to the details,” says Kelly Dennis, MBA, ACS-AN, CAN-PC, CHCA, CPC, CPC-I, owner of Perfect Office Solutions in Leesburg, Fl. “When I’m auditing codes, many of the mistakes I see are based on the coder not paying attention to the slight differences between code descriptors.”

Overall look: The update to ICD-10 2020 incudes 273 additions, 21 deletions, and 30 revisions. All changes will go into effect Oct. 1, 2019.

Replace R82.8 with 2 New Options

Current diagnosis R82.8 (Abnormal findings on cytological and histological examination of urine) will be deleted from the new edition. Two related diagnoses will be added in its place: R82.81 (Pyuria) and R82.89 (Other abnormal findings on cytological and histological examination of urine). These changes add additional specificity to these diagnoses, which is always good since your goal is to assign the most specific diagnosis possible.

Look Close for R82.993 Revision

The descriptor for diagnosis R82.993 is changing by a single letter. The current descriptor is “Hyperuricoscuria.” The new descriptor will be “Hyperuricosuria.” By either term, the condition is defined as the presence of excessive amounts of uric acid in the urine. For men, greater than 800 mg/day is considered excessive; for women, the amount is greater than 750 mg/day. This change corrects a spelling error that had been inadvertently published in the 2019 ICD-10-CM manual.