Cardiology Coding Alert
Expect External Cause Code Use to Stay the Same
Question: It seems like a lot of the ICD-10 code examples we see are about external causes. Are we going to have to start reporting these if we don’t use them now for ICD-9?
Georgia Subscriber
Answer: You probably won’t have to start reporting the external cause codes if you don’t report them now.
Medicare has stated, “If you have not been reporting ICD-9-CM external cause codes, you will not be required to report ICD-10-CM codes found in Chapter 20 [External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99)] unless a new State or payer-based requirement about the reporting of these codes is instituted. If such a requirement is instituted, it would be independent of ICD-10-CM implementation” (www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/Downloads/SE1518.pdf).
Medicare suggests reporting external cause codes, though, for data collection purposes. You may not have a reason to report a code such as W59.22XA (Struck by turtle, initial encounter) in cardiology often, but there may be times you find it appropriate to use a code from category Y71.- (Cardiovascular devices associated with adverse incidents).
Cardiology Coding Alert
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Expect External Cause Code Use to Stay the Same
Question: It seems like a lot of the ICD-10 code examples we see are about external [...]
