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Urology Coding Alert

Reader Question:

041.4 Requires a Fifth Digit Now

Published on Mon Nov 21, 2011

Question: Has there been a change to 041.4? We keep getting denials and I can't figure out why.Florida SubscriberAnswer: There was a change to 041.4 on Oct. 1, 2011. The code now requires a fifth digit as follows: 041.41 -- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] (STEC) O157 041.42 -- Other specified Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] (STEC) 041.43 -- Unspecified Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli [E. coli] (STEC), unspecified 041.49 -- Other and unspecified Escherichia coli [E. coli]. When your urologist reports that a patient has an infection, such as cystitis (595) you need to use an additional code to report the organism causing the infection. Often that organism is E. coli and you'll now report 041.41-041.49 rather than four-digit 041.4 to indicate the type of E. coli. Background: Many E. coli bacteria are harmless, but certain strains can cause digestive problems ranging from diarrhea to hemorrhagic colitis. These strains are known as [...]
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