Internal Medicine Coding Alert
You Be the Coder:
Patient Wheezing? 519.11 Might Outweigh 786.07
Published on Thu Sep 15, 2011 
PDF
PDF
Question:
Florida Subscriber
Answer:
The best code for "wheezing" or what allergists call "wheezing associated respiratory illness" (WARI) is diagnosis code 519.11 (Acute bronchospasm). Although the descriptor for 786.07 is "wheezing," the code refers to stenosis (or narrowing) of respiratory passages. Code 519.11 is more specific for bronchospasm.Physicians might use the diagnosis of WARI for patients who experience wheezing but don't meet the criteria for an asthma diagnosis. For example, a child with an upper respiratory infection (URI) has his first episode of associated wheezing and requires treatment of bronchospasm. This would typically not warrant labeling a child with "asthma," using ICD-9 code 493.02 (Extrinsic asthma; with [acute] exacerbation).
Other Articles in this issue of
Internal Medicine Coding Alert
- Annual Visits:
Be Cautious Reporting EKG With AWV
New Medicare stance steers you away from modifier 25. Medicare now requires a modifier on [...] - Modifier Review:
Extremity Fractures: Learn Correct Modifier Usage
Tip: Repeating a procedure or service doesn't always mean extra pay. With football season in [...] - News You Can Use
786.50 and 786.51 Land on PT 'Paid' ListIf your practice provides prothrombin time (PT) tests [...] - Part B Forms:
New Format ABN Form To Be Used From Nov. 1, CMS Sources Say
Switching to new form is mandatoryIt may seem like just yesterday that you transitioned to [...] - ICD-9 2012:
Skin Cancer Codes of 173.x Series Are Now More Specific
Physicians need to pinpoint the type of diagnosis. When the updated version of ICD-9-CM goes [...] - ICD-10:
Come 2013, 786.05 Will Have New Code, But Same Descriptor
If your internist notes in a chart today that a patient's presenting complaint is "shortness [...] - You Be the Coder:
Patient Wheezing? 519.11 Might Outweigh 786.07
Question: Sometimes our internist suggests diagnosis 519.11 for wheezing, but sometimes he suggests 786.07. How [...] - Reader question:
Add Modifier 59 for Repeated Epistaxis treatment
Question: My physician saw a patient in the office for a nosebleed. Later that day, the [...] - Reader question:
99339-99340 Not Autometic Choice for Assisted Living Facility Coding
Question: One of our physicians evaluated a new patient in an assisted living facility for [...] - Reader question:
Collect From Secondary Payer Before Approaching A Patient
Question: We have many patients with secondary insurance, some of which have deductibles on the [...] - Reader question:
Coding Negative Strep Test Forces You to Rely on Symptoms
Question: We performed a strep test on a patient who presented with vomiting, rash, and [...] - Reader question:
Set Wellness and E/M Visits on Separate Days To Avoid Possible Denial
Question: We often bill well woman and sick visits on the same day if the [...] - Reader question:
36140-59 Needs Supporting Documentation
Question: Do codes 99144, 36140, 36245, and 75710 require any modifiers to be paid when [...]
View All