Eli's Rehab Report

Reader Question:

Report 2 Codes for Polyneuropathy, AIDS

Question: One of our patients has polyneuropathy of the extremities due to AIDS. The physiatrist recommended the AIDS diagnosis code (042) with 357.3 (Polyneuropathy in malignant disease), but the ICD-9 manual indicates that 357.3 is only reportable with codes 140.0-208.9. How should I report this claim?

Texas Subscriber


Answer: Your suspicion is warranted: 357.3 is only reportable with the primary diagnosis codes that indicate malignant neoplasms and leukemia. Because AIDS is not a malignant disease, you should report 042 (Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease), followed by 357.4 (Polyneuropathy in other diseases classified elsewhere).
 
Although coders might think they should list 357.4 as the primary diagnosis because the physiatrist is actually treating the polyneuropathy and not the HIV, they shouldn't. A note in ICD-9 following 357.4 instructs coders to "code first underlying disease."

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