While choosing the proper influenza diagnosis, two details are key.
Do not let rumors of some ICD-9 changes in preparation for ICD-10 make you blind to the top pediatric diagnosis code change . Minus the scoop on expansion to the 488 category, denials for invalid codes will disrupt your claims delaying your payments.
ICD-9 2011 codes continue to become more and more specific requiring a provider to document clearly and thoroughly to allow for selection of the most specific and spot on code.
Here are some key points you need to consider while using ICD-9 2011 codes.
a) While assigning ‘swine flu' DX, look at manifestation. When a patient has H1N1 (swine flu), you need to pay attention to a couple of details. The medical record will have to identify the proper influenza and you'll have to capture the proper manifestation to choose the codes to the degree of specificity now called for. With the change, category 488 mirrors the structure of category 487.
There has been a tremendous expansion of the H1N1 category. Now you will no longer be able to use 488.0 and 488.1 as ICD-9 2011 has deleted these codes. Instead it has come up with six new five-digit codes. This year's ICD-9 codes 488.0x (Influenza due to identified avian influenza virus) and 488.1x (Influenza due to identified novel H1N1 influenza virus) allow you to uniquely capture pneumonia, other respiratory manifestations and manifestations taking place with these types of influenza. Now you need to assign the proper code 488.xx code based on the type of comorbid manifestation the avian or H1N1 influenza involves.
Remember: When you report 488.01 or 488.11, as with 487.0, you will report an additional code to identify the type of pneumonia.
Do not let rumors of some ICD-9 changes in preparation for ICD-10 make you blind to the top pediatric diagnosis code change . Minus the scoop on expansion to the 488 category, denials for invalid codes will disrupt your claims delaying your payments.
ICD-9 2011 codes continue to become more and more specific requiring a provider to document clearly and thoroughly to allow for selection of the most specific and spot on code.
Here are some key points you need to consider while using ICD-9 2011 codes.
a) While assigning ‘swine flu' DX, look at manifestation. When a patient has H1N1 (swine flu), you need to pay attention to a couple of details. The medical record will have to identify the proper influenza and you'll have to capture the proper manifestation to choose the codes to the degree of specificity now called for. With the change, category 488 mirrors the structure of category 487.
There has been a tremendous expansion of the H1N1 category. Now you will no longer be able to use 488.0 and 488.1 as ICD-9 2011 has deleted these codes. Instead it has come up with six new five-digit codes. This year's ICD-9 codes 488.0x (Influenza due to identified avian influenza virus) and 488.1x (Influenza due to identified novel H1N1 influenza virus) allow you to uniquely capture pneumonia, other respiratory manifestations and manifestations taking place with these types of influenza. Now you need to assign the proper code 488.xx code based on the type of comorbid manifestation the avian or H1N1 influenza involves.
Remember: When you report 488.01 or 488.11, as with 487.0, you will report an additional code to identify the type of pneumonia.
