Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question:

Maryland Subscriber

Answer:

You'll need to report more than one diagnosis code to describe this case.

Radiation: If the encounter is solely for radiation therapy, ICD-9 official guidelines state you should first assign V58.0 (Encounter for radiotherapy).

Neoplasm: You next should report the code for the neoplasm at which treatment is directed, ICD-9 guidelines state. In this case, report 162.4 (Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus, and lung; middle lobe, bronchus or lung).

You may choose to report the secondary malignancy, as well, to indicate the extent of the disease process.

Palliative: You also need to indicate that the treatment is palliative by reporting V66.7 (Encounter for palliative care). A note with this code in the ICD-9 manual indicates that you should report the underlying disease first.

Symptoms: You also may choose to report the symptom that the treatment is intended to alleviate. For example, if the documentation indicates the patient complains of shortness of breath, report 786.05 (Shortness of breath).

Resource: You can download the ICD-9 official guidelines from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd9cm_addenda_guidelines.htm."