Ophthalmology and Optometry Coding Alert

How did you fare in our ICD-10 on the coding quiz? Read on for the solutions to these diagnosis coding questions.

Answer 1: In this case, the patient has xanthelasma of only the upper eyelids, so you'll report two codes: H02.61 (Xanthelasma of right upper eyelid) and H02.64 (Xanthelasma of left upper eyelid). The two codes are necessary since the ICD-10 manual does not supply a single code to describe this condition when it affects both upper eyelids.

Answer 2: Because the physician didn't specify a type of blepharoconjunctivitis (such as angular, ligneous or contact), you should report the code for the unspecified condition. Because the patient's left eye was affected, you'll report H10.502 (Unspecified blepharoconjunctivitis, left eye). You don't need to report a separate code to denote that both the upper and lower eyelids were affected, since this code is appropriate to cover the entire condition.

Answer 3: To report a diagnosis of keratoconus of the right eye, report H18.601 (Keratoconus, unspecified, right eye). This unspecified code is the most accurate since the question did not have further information, but if the physician documents stable keratoconus, you'll instead report H18.611 (Keratoconus, stable, right eye) and if it's unstable, you'll submit H18.621 (Keratoconus, unstable, right eye).

Answer 4: In this case, you should report H25.013 (Cortical age-related cataract, bilateral) to describe the patient's condition.

Answer 5: For this patient, H50.07 (Alternating esotropia with V pattern) is the best option to describe the condition.