Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Alert physicians to keep using condition codes. New, specific ICD-9 codes for "pre-op" and other laboratory examinations will make your job easier -- right? Wrong. "If physicians start to order laboratory tests using just a V code for pre-surgical testing instead of listing condition codes that indicate medical necessity for the tests, you can expect to get denials," cautions William Dettwyler, MT-AMT, president of Codus Medicus, a laboratory coding consulting firm in Salem, Ore. Shed Light onTesting PurposeWith ExpandedV72.6 Historically, many payers haven't paid for lab tests ordered with V72.6 (Laboratory examination) and no other documentation regarding the reason for the test. Now ICD-9 2010 replaces V72.6 with five new five-digit codes: • V72.60 -- Laboratory examination, unspecified • V72.61 -- Antibody response examination • V72.62 -- Laboratory examination ordered as part of a routine general medical examination • V72.63 -- Pre-procedural laboratory examination • V72.69 -- Other laboratory examination. These codes add specificity to [...]