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Radiology Coding Alert

ICD-9 Update:

Tackle 3 Breast and Ortho Imaging Code Changes for Oct. 1 Claims The switch to ICD-9 2010 is only a few short months away; preparing now for Oct. 1 Claims

Published on Tue Aug 11, 2009

New code 793.82 shakes up the whole 793.x range. The switch to ICD-9 2010 is only a few short months away; preparing now for three crucial changes in diagnostic imaging will put you ahead of the game. Remember: ICD-9 2010 codes will be appropriate for services performed on or after Oct. 1, 2009. 1. Mark New Mammo Code in 2010 Manual Dense breasts may require testing beyond a mammogram to confirm no malignancies, and the request for an appropriate code to describe this resulted in 793.82 (Inconclusive mammogram), according to the ICD-9 Committee's September 2008 meeting agenda (www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/icd9/agendaSep08.pdf). "The new code may help get insurance companies to pay for additional testing," says Cheryl Scott, CPC, CPC-H, CCS, CCS-P, with HealthTexas in Dallas. "Prior to the 2010 code, the choices were to bill it as screening or to code dense breasts as an 'abnormality'" -- which they aren't, she says. And [...]
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