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Anesthesia Coding Alert

2012 Code Changes:

Watch for Expanded Neoplasm, Personal History Codes That Dominate 2012 ICD-9 Updates

Published on Tue Aug 02, 2011

Plus: Migraine revisions focus on punctuation addition, not descriptor change.New and revised ICD-9 codes for 2012 go into effect October 1, which means it's time to brush up on the latest code options. Pay special attention to expanded lip neoplasm and glaucoma choices, plus new codes for acute respiratory failure and other complications following surgery.Expand Digits for Some Neoplasm, Glaucoma DiagnosesWhen ICD-9-CM 2012 goes into effect, you'll be able to pinpoint some neoplasms and glaucoma stages more specifically:Neoplasm codes 173.0-173.9 (Other malignant neoplasm of skin) will be deleted and replaced by new fifth-digit options 173.00-173.99.Glaucoma codes expand to the fifth-digit level in order to differentiate the different stages (unspecified, mild, moderate, severe, or indeterminate stage). The new codes will be 365.70-365.74.Reasoning: You'll have much more specific diagnosis choices when ICD-10 goes into effect in October 2013. Adding fifthdigit expansions to codes such as these now will help coders and physicians [...]
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