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Reader Question:

Watch for New Anemia Guidelines in ICD-10

Question: I read an article that said ICD-10 guidelines for anemia/neoplasm coding differ from ICD-9. Where can I access the ICD-10 guidelines?

Iowa Subscriber

Answer: You can download the 2010 ICD-10 guidelines from CMS's ICD-10 site: www.cms.gov/ICD10/12_2010_ICD_10_CM.asp. You also can download them from the CDC's ICD-10-CM site: www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm#10update.

The anemia/neoplasm differences that you refer to most likely relate to coding anemia associated with a malignancy (when the encounter is for the anemia) and coding adverse effects.

For example, suppose your patient has anemia associated with a malignancy, and you will be providing care for the anemia only.

ICD-9: ICD-9 guidelines state that your first-listed code should be for anemia, 285.22 (Anemia in neoplastic disease). Then, the guidelines instruct you to report the appropriate malignancy code(s).

ICD-10: ICD-10 guidelines, on the other hand, instruct you that in the above scenario, you must report the malignancy first and then the anemia code, D63.0 (Anemia in neoplastic disease).

On the other hand, suppose your patient has anemia caused by his chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy, and you will be treating the anemia only.

ICD-9: You should sequence the anemia first (such as 284.89, Aplastic anemia due to drugs), according to ICD-9 guidelines. When the patient has an adverse reaction to a correctly prescribed and administered substance, ICD-9 instructs you to code the reaction followed by a code from E930-E949. For example, you might report E933.1 (Drugs, medicinal, and biological substances causing adverse effects in therapeutic use; antineoplastic and immunosuppressive drugs). Then report the appropriate neoplasm code.

ICD-10: 2012 ICD-10 guidelines are much like the ICD-9-CM guidelines. Report the anemia, then the adverse effect code and then the neoplasm. Example: Your patient has aplastic anemia from chemotherapy and has multiple myeloma. Report the anemia, the adverse effect code then the neoplasm code.

  • M1020: D61.1 (Drug induced aplastic anemia);
  • M1022: T45.1x5S (Adverse effect of antineoplastic and immunosuppressive drugs); and
  • M1022: C90.00 (Multiple myeloma not having achieved remission).