Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

For Unsatisfactory Smear, Use 795.08

Question: Which diagnosis should I use for a patient who comes in due to an unsatisfactory Pap smear - code 795.09 or 795.08?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: You should report 795.08 (Unsatisfactory smear). In the past, you would have reported 795.09 (Other abnormal Papanicolaou smear of cervix and cervical HPV), but as of 2004, ICD-9 revised the codes to indicate that 795.08 is now the correct code to use for an inadequate sample. This ICD-9 revision is another reason why you have to keep up with ICD-9 changes each year.

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