ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: Encounter notes indicate that the ED physician treated a patient with “cx pox w/o complication.” How do I choose a diagnosis code for this condition? I don’t see “chickenpox” in any ICD-10 descriptors.

New Hampshire Subscriber

Answer: You should report B01.9 (Varicella without complication) to represent the patient’s chickenpox. Varicella is another term for chickenpox, since the condition is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV).

While you’ll report B01.9 for chickenpox without complications, there are other varicella (or chickenpox) diagnosis codes that reflect complications or other conditions that accompany the chickenpox.

Here’s a look at the other varicella ICD-10 codes:

• B01.0 (Varicella meningitis)
• B01.11 (Varicella encephalitis and encephalomyelitis)
• B01.12 (Varicella myelitis)
• B01.2 (Varicella pneumonia)
• B01.81 (Varicella keratitis)
• B01.89 (Other varicella complications).