Urology Coding Alert

You'll still need obstruction, recurrence data as well.If your urologist teams up with general surgeons to perform procedures involving inguinal hernias -- such as a combined hernia and orchiopexy surgery -- pay attention to the hernia coding changes coming on Oct. 1, 2013. You'll have the same number of code choices and the same diagnostic distinctions for coding inguinal hernias when ICD-9 becomes ICD-10. But elevating the bilateral/unilateral distinction from the fifth digit in ICD-9 to the fourth digit in ICD-10 confounds the one-to-one code correspondence. ICD-9 Prioritizes Gangrene, ObstructionICD-9 lists three, four-digit codes for inguinal hernia:550.0 -- Inguinal hernia with gangrene550.1 -- ... with obstruction, without mention of gangrene550.9 -- ... without mention of obstruction or gangrene.You should append a fifth digit to each of these codes to distinguish bilateral/unilateral and recurrent or not, as follows:0 -- unilateral or unspecified (not specified as recurrent)1 -- unilateral or unspecified, recurrent2 -- bilateral (not specified as recurrent)3 -- bilateral, recurrent. [...]