Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Avoid ‘unspecified’ codes -- choose test’s ‘reason’ instead. Whether you code for a clinical lab or a pathology practice, making sure your claims have the right ICD-9 code can be the key to documenting the patient’s medical condition -- and to payment. That’s why you need to follow our experts’ advice to cut through confusing options and make sure you know how to choose the correct ICD-9 codes for your claims. Tip 1: Use ‘Ordering Diagnosis’ for Clinical Labs If you’re billing for a clinical laboratory, you won’t be assigning a diagnosis based on lab test results. "Instead, you’ll use the diagnosis code that the physician assigns when ordering the test," says William Dettwyler, MTAMT, president of Codus Medicus, a laboratory coding consulting firm in Salem, Ore. Here’s why: Clinical lab test results are only one component of determining a diagnosis for a patient’s condition. The treating physician will account for the [...]