Urology Coding Alert

Keep this list handy so you know the new codes you'll be using.

When your urologist treats a patient with urinary incontinence, you'll turn to ICD-9 625.6 or the 788 section of your ICD-9 Manual and choose from the following codes:

• 625.6 -- Stress incontinence female
• 788.30 -- Urinary incontinence unspecified
• 788.31 -- Urge incontinence
• 788.32 -- Stress incontinence male
• 788.33 -- Mixed incontinence (male) (female)
• 788.34 --Incontinence without sensory awareness
• 788.35 --Post-void dribbling
• 788.36 -- Nocturnal enuresis
• 788.37 -- Continuous leakage
• 788.38 -- Overflow incontinence
• 788.39 -- Other urinary incontinence.

ICD-10 difference: When ICD-10 takes over on Oct. 1, 2013, you will still have several incontinence codes from which to choose depending on the type of incontinence. However, some things will change. For example, you'll no longer have separate codes for male and female stress incontinence.

Take a look at the codes you'll need to learn before the ICD-10 implementation deadline:

• N39.3 -- Stress incontinence (female) (male)
• N39.41 -- Urge incontinence
• N39.42 --Incontinence without sensory awareness
• N39.43--Post-void dribbling
• N39.44 -- Nocturnal enuresis
• N39.45 -- Continuous leakage
• N39.46 -- Mixed incontinence
• N39.490 -- Overflow incontinence
• N39.498 -- Other specified urinary incontinence
• R32 -- Unspecified urinary incontinence.

Physician documentation: Your urologist should already be documenting the type of incontinence the patient has, and you probably already have room on your superbill for multiple codes. Therefore, there won't be much to change in 2013.