Pediatric Coding Alert

Question: We performed a Hep B Surface Ab and a Varicella-Zoster Ab, IgG on a foreign-born adopted child to determine whether the patient had a previous vaccination. Which diagnosis codes can we use to bill these visits?Indiana SubscriberAnswer: In this situation, you would use V codes to tell the insurer why you performed the testing. The following codes may apply to your situation, depending on the documentation:V15.83 -- Personal history of underimmunization statusV01.79 -- Contact with or exposure to other viral diseasesV01.71 -- Contact with or exposure to varicellaV05.3 -- Need for other prophylactic vaccination and inoculation against a single disease; viral hepatitisV05.4 -- Need for other prophylactic vaccinationand inoculation against a single disease; varicellaThe facts: The ICD-9 manual lists V codes under the category heading "Supplementary Classification of Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services." This means that V codes often describe chronic conditions or underlying circumstances that might affect a patient's [...]