Advanced Search

Pulmonology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

997.31 Makes Its Way to Respiratory Complications Coding

Published on Tue Oct 19, 2010

Question: A nursing home patient who has been dependent on ventilator was brought to the office for evaluation. The pulmonologist found him to have pneumonia. What ICD-9 code should I report?Kentucky SubscriberAnswer: You should use 997.31 (Ventilator-associated pneumonia) on your claim, after confirmation by the pulmonologist. This is a fairly new diagnosis code which premiered in ICD-9 2009. Report this code when a patient on a respirator develops pneumonia. In the past, you would use the generic 997.3 (Respiratory complications) for this type of pneumonia. The new ICD-9 offers a clearer description of the source of the patient's pneumonia.Quick fact: You will never find 997.3 as a complete code in the ICD-9 book because it requires an additional digit. Code 997.31 (Ventilator associated pneumonia) and 997.39 (Other respiratory complications) has further specified 997.3. 997.39 code descriptor's vagueness should tell you to submit it only as a last resort, when you cannot [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

Pulmonology Coding Alert

View All