Get Up to Snuff With New Swine Flu Diagnosis, Admin Codes
Published on Mon Aug 17, 2009
Here's what to submit for both Medicare and non-Medicare claims. Pregnant women are among those at the highest risk of hospitalization and death from the H1N1 swine flu -- even the healthy ones, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). That means your ob-gyn practice could see an influx of patients with swine flu or seeking swine flu vaccinations, and it's up to you to know how to report these encounters. Fact 1: Use New Code 488.1 Provided you're up to date with the latest ICD-9 coding expert recommendations, your coding for confirmed cases should be on track. ICD-9 has fast-tracked a new code for swine flu, 488.1 (Influenza due to identified novel H1N1 influenza virus). Reason: The number of cases is mounting, and the old code 488 was only specific for avian flu, says Melanie Witt, RN, COBGC, MA, an ob-gyn coding expert based in Guadalupita, N.M. Don't miss: Two [...]
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