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Urology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Urosepsis Doesn't Equal Septicemia

Published on Mon Apr 13, 2009

Question: My urologist documented a patient's diagnosis as "urosepsis." The patient is still on antibiotics. Should I ICD-9 038.9? Florida Subscriber Answer: No. You should not use 038.9 (Unspecified septicemia) for urosepsis. The term urosepsis means a urinary tract infection (UTI). Instead of ICD-9 code 038.9, use 599.0 (Urinary tract infection, site not specified). Look up urosepsis in the ICD-9 manual, and you'll find the recommended code is 599.0. Pointer: When you see urosepsis, go back and ask the urologist if he is treating a simple UTI or sepsis due to UTI. If all he says is "urosepsis," then code the UTI. -- Answers to Reader Questions and You Be the Coder contributed by Michael A. Ferragamo, MD, FACS, clinical assistant professor of urology, State University of New York, Stony Brook.
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