Dx Coding for Enterovirus D68

If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you’ve probably heard of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68).

EV-D68 is one of many non-polio enteroviruses. Initially isolated in California in 1962, it was reported rarely before 2005. In recent months, however, the United States has experienced a nationwide outbreak of EV-D68, associated with severe respiratory illness. From mid-August to early October 2014, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health laboratories confirmed 628 people in 44 states and the District of Columbia with respiratory illness caused by EV-D68.

Because there are so many strains of enterovirus, diagnosis coding lacks presicion. Current coding for EV-D68 is:

ICD-9 – 008.67 Enteritis due to Enterovirus NEC

ICD-10 – B97.19 Other enterovirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere

According to the CDC, the virus spreads much like the common cold. It causes primarily respiratory illness, with typical symptoms of fever, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and muscle ache. Children with a history of asthma, wheezing, or other respiratory diseases appear to be more prone to EV-D68 infection. Although there is no known treatment, most cases of EV-D68 are not fatal.

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John Verhovshek

John Verhovshek, MA, CPC, is a contributing editor at AAPC. He has been covering medical coding and billing, healthcare policy, and the business of medicine since 1999. He is an alumnus of York College of Pennsylvania and Clemson University.

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