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Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

For Unsatisfactory Smear, Use 795.08

Published on Wed Sep 28, 2005

Question: Which diagnosis should I use for a Pap smear ordered due to a prior unsatisfactory Pap smear - 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 revision is an example of why you have to keep up with ICD-9 changes each year.
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