Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Red flag 389.2, 787.2 in your computer system to avoid post-September invalid-code denials

There are only five revised ICD-9 codes this year, and three of them are in the 389 section--your realm.

With strong pushes from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, you-re going to have your hands full contending with this fall's ICD-9 code changes. Here's a sneak peek at the short descriptions of the ENT-focused diagnoses you should make room for on your encounter sheet.

Tip: Leave invalid or truncated codes in your computer system, says Barbara J. Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CHCC, director of outreach programs for the American Academy of Professional Coders based in Salt Lake City. -Instead of deleting them, enter a description of -invalid as of 2008.-- This protects your practice from someone re-adding the codes after they have been deleted.