Urology Coding Alert

Question: I'm new to diagnosis coding and can't figure out how to code "urethral trauma." Do you have any hints?

Vermont Subscriber

 Answer: To find the correct ICD-9 code for urethral trauma (867.0), start by looking up the descriptor "trauma" in the alphabetical index listed first in most ICD-9-CM manuals. You'll notice that urethra is not specifically listed under the heading "trauma," but you are instructed to "see also Injury, by site." There you'll find "urethra (sphincter), 867.0."

 Because "injury" is generic, you should turn to 867.0 in the tabular index to be sure there is not a more specific code to represent the patient's condition. Here you will find two ICD-9 codes: 867.0 (Injury to pelvic organs; bladder and urethra, without mention of open wound into cavity) and 867.1 ( bladder and urethra, with open wound into cavity). You should use both the alphabetical and tabular indexes and take the time to review other code options to see if anything else is a better fit.

  Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions contributed by Michael A. Ferragamo, MD, FACS, clinical assistant professor of urology, State University of New York, Stony Brook; and Morgan Hause, CCS, CCS-P, privacy and compliance officer for Urology of Indiana LLC, a 19-urologist practice in Indianapolis.