Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Question: Is there a diagnosis code to use for short interval between pregnancies?

Washington DC Subscriber

Answer: A short interval between pregnancies (usually defined as less than 18 months) may lead to a decrease in the length of subsequent pregnancies, which is a risk factor for an early delivery. Because of this, such a pregnancy can be considered high risk.  At present, the only diagnostic code that can be reported is V23.89 (Supervision of other high-risk pregnancy).

ICD-10: When ICD-10 goes into effect on October 1, 2015, you will need to specify the trimester as follows:

• O09.891 — Supervision of other high risk pregnancies, first trimester

• O09.892 — Supervision of other high risk pregnancies, second trimester

• O09.893 — Supervision of other high risk pregnancies, third trimester.