ICD-9 Update: Take Your Oncology Coding Specificity Up a Notch With 7 2010 Changes
Posted on 26. Jun, 2009 by dan.fellars in Hot Coding Topics
Tumor lysis syndrome is getting its own code — will you know where to look?
CMS has revealed the 2010 ICD-9 code updates, and the main lesson is that using your ICD-9 index may prove more important than ever.
Here’s why: Most of the new codes will offer additional specificity to existing diseases (unique Merkel cell carcinoma codes, for example), which can help you code more accurately. And getting new diagnosis codes that provide additional specificity can certainly be a plus, says Marvel J. Hammer, RN, CPC, CCS-P, PCS, ACS-PM, CHCO, of MJH Consulting in Denver.
But the revised code list doesn’t just add specificity to your options. You may find that not all the new codes are located where you expect (don’t make any assumptions about where you’ll find Merkel cell for unknown primary site).
Get the full picture: CMS’s proposed Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule includes a list of the expected changes to ICD-9 2010 (page 409). You’ll find the proposed rule published in the May 22 Federal Register, as well.
1. Add 285.3: Antineoplastic Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia
Chemotherapy-induced anemia is one of the most common side effects of treatment, but in 2009, you don’t have a code that distinguishes this anemia from other types.
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Oct. 1, you’ll be able to report 285.3 (Antineoplastic chemotherapy induced anemia) for the condition.
285.22 note: One commenter asked that the there be an “exclude” note for this new code placed with 285.22 (Anemia in neoplastic disease), according to the “ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee 2008 Summary”.
This note is a helpful reminder that 285.22 is appropriate when the anemia is caused by the cancer (such as ovarian cancer with intratumor bleeding), not by the treatment.
Documentation: A commenter at the meeting also...
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