Radiology Coding Alert

ICD-9 2010 takes some of the gray areas out of coding gray matter woes. The diagnosis code for "other conditions of brain" has changed from 348.8 to 348.89. And you know the ICD-9 rule: When a code has a fifth digit, reporting four digits won't cut it. Here's what you need to know about these ICD-9 changes. Out With 348.8, In With 348.8x Diagnosis 348.8 (Other conditions of brain) is invalid for services performed on or after Oct. 1, but ICD-9 2010 introduces a new fifth-digit replacement: 348.89. The descriptor remains the same, so you'll be able to use it for the same circumstances as 348.8 when ICD-9 doesn't offer a more specific option. Example: You might use the "other" code "when there is 'something' found, but it's not yet defined as a neoplastic process or other definitive process," says Lisa Nelson, CPC, a medical coding specialist in  Wisconsin. Nelson [...]