General Surgery Coding Alert

Some conditions gets one-to-one crosswalk.

When your surgeon removes an appendix, you'll have more specific diagnosis code choices under ICD-10, effective Oct. 1, 2013.

Distinguish 'Other' and 'Unspecified'

Coding for acute appendicitis will change as follows, from ICD-9 to ICD-10:

• 540.0 -- Acute appendicitis with generalized peritonitis becomes K35.2 with an identical definition
• 540.1 -- Acute appendicitis with peritoneal abscess becomes K35.3 (Acute appendicitis with localized peritonitis)
• 540.9 -- Acute appendicitis without peritonitis leads to two possible ICD-10 codes: K35.80 (Unspecified acute appendicitis) or K35.89 (Other acute appendicitis).

ICD-10 provides a similar distinction between "other" and "unspecified" for the following ICD-9 to ICD-10 crosswalks:

• 541 -- Appendicitis unqualified crosswalks to K37 (Unspecified appendicitis)
• 542 -- Other appendicitis crosswalks to K36 (Other appendicitis).

Find More Choices for Other Appendix Conditions

Although you'll find a one-to-one crosswalk for appendix hyperplasia (543.0, Hyperplasia of appendix [lymphoid] to K38.0, Hyperplasia of appendix), ICD-10 provides many more specific codes for other conditions.

Instead of ICD-9's 543.9 (Other and unspecified diseases of appendix), you'll choose one of the following codes starting Oct. 1, 2013:

• K38.1 -- Appendicular concretions
• K38.2 -- Diverticulum of appendix
• K38.3 -- Fistula of appendix
• K38.8 -- Other specified diseases of appendix
• K38.9 -- Disease of appendix, unspecified.