488 for H1N1? Watch Your Date, Final Digit
Published on Wed Jul 01, 2009
These updates keep your swine flu coding on track -- now and in the fall. Before you carry your swine flu diagnosis over to the bird category 488 (Influenza due to identified avian influenza virus), get the facts you need to avoid making an ICD-9 coding error. Truth 1: Stick With 487.x -- For Now Provided you're up to date with the latest ICD-9 coding expert recommendations, your coding for confirmed cases should be on track. "Given the current coding constraints, 487.x (Influenza) is the best choice for the interim period," says Kathy Giannangelo, MA, RHIA, CCS, CPHIMS, FAHIMA, an independent consultant in Springfield, Ill. Reason: The current code 488 is specific for avian flu. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has indicated they feel under the current code titles that 487 is the appropriate code, reports Jeffrey F. Linzer Sr., MD, MICP, FAAP, FACEP, associate medical director of compliance and [...]
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