Wiki Current Cancer vs. Personal Hx of Cancer

[sarah_black]

Hello,
I work at a cancer care center and we are interested in the timeline other groups follow when coding personal history of cancer rather than currrent cancer. For example, the ICD-9 guidelines instruct us to assign the personal history of cancer code when the patient has completed treatment and is NED. Do you wait a specific length of time after the treatment is completed before assigning the history code -e.g. six months, 1 year, 18 months? There is no clear guidance on this issue that I know of. Any insight you could offer would be appreciated. Thanks, Sarah Black

 

[dja214]

I was told by an Oncologist that one year after the patient has finished his/her regimen and there are no signs of recurrence, to use the history of codes.

He stated he had learned this information at an Oncology seminar.

Hope this helps!

 

[MnTwins29]

We follow the guidelines that state if there has been an excision or erradication of the neoplasm AND no current treatment to the site for a neoplasm, we use the history code. Time that has elapsed since the cancer was removed doesn't affect the code assignment.

 

[ohn0disaster]

i disagree

I'm not sure why said oncologist was told to wait a year after to start coding as history but that's incorrect information. There is no specific time frame.

Use personal history (V-codes) when:

There is no evidence of any existing primary malignancy

The primary malignancy has been excised or eradicated

There is no adjuvant treatment, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy directed to that site

There is no evidence of recurrence of the primary malignancy

If the documentation states there is “no evidence of disease (NED)”, use a personal history code or V-code.


Hope this helps!