Wiki Breast quadrants

[MeanderingMichigander]

This may be a silly question, but it has been gnawing at me and I finally remembered to post it.

Imagine, if you will, a provider states the patient has a lump/mass/cyst/lesion/whatever in the right/left breast, and the aforementioned whatever is, of course, in the 3-, 6-, 9-, or 12-o'clock position.

(READ: Right ON the dang quadrant lines. )

Can you code the quadrant (and, if so, how do you choose) or can you only code laterality?

Thanx!

 

[csperoni]

I am inferring from how gynecologic bilateral issues are coded.
I would recommend to use 2 diagnoses - the quadrants that the mass/lump spans. ie - right side 12oclock would be N63.11 for upper outer AND N63.12 for upper inner. It's not unspecified.
I am using the logic that if a patient had a left ovarian cyst and a right ovarian cyst, you would code both, not unspecified. In your example, the mass/lump spans both quadrants.

I did find advice from a supercoder question stating the same. https://www.supercoder.com/my-ask-an-expert/topic/breast-mass-codes-for-12-oclock-position