Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: Is the diagnosis code for status post femoral popliteal surgery the same as for status post CABG, V45.81?Kentucky SubscriberAnswer: No. You should report V45.89 (Other postprocedural status; other) for status post femoral popliteal surgery (also called fem-pop or femoropopliteal).For status post coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) you instead report V45.81 (... aortocoronary bypass status).Here's why: Code V45.81 specifies "aortocoronary bypass," which is another term for coronary artery bypass. CABG treats coronary artery disease by bypassing the coronary artery's blocked portion with a piece from another blood vessel.Femoral popliteal bypass treats femoral artery disease by bypassing a blockage in the femoral artery. The graft is sewn onto both the femoral and popliteal arteries, both of which are in the leg and are peripheral vessels.The V45.8x category doesn't offer a particular code for femoral popliteal status, so you should use "other" code V45.89.