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Urology Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Foley Catheter

Published on Sat Jul 01, 2000

Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.


Question: If a patient arrives from a nursing home or other facility and has a plugged Foley catheter, would you code the V code for attention to the catheter or the complication code for the catheter?

Diane Ziegler, Everett, Wash.


Answer: The diagnosis code for an entrapped, obstructed Foley catheter is 996.76 (other complications of internal [biological] [synthetic] prosthetic device, implant, and graft; due to genitourinary device, implant, and graft). This code can be found by searching the ICD-9 alphabetic index for obstruction and then locating the term device. The instructions are to see Complications, due to (presence of) any device, implant, or graft classified to 996.0-996.5 NEC. The see cross-reference indicates that the coder must refer to the alternative term specified to continue coding. Under the term Complications in the alphabetic index, locate due to (presence of)... Under due to (presence of)... locate the term catheter and then urinary, indwelling 996.76. This code should be verified by locating 996.76 in the Tabular List to make sure there are no excludes notes that might direct a coder elsewhere.

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