Wiki Multiple Insect Bite Coding

[toneemcraft]

The past 3 months our Peds clinic has been seeing 20-30 patients for insect bites (mosquito, bed bugs) weekly. Since this is a teaching clinic with rotating residents, I am continuously teaching about the insect bite codes. I have two questions: What code is used for multiple insect bites? (We have had patients with bites on 5 or more sites) And, how many sites are considered multiple (4 or more...)? Code T07 is unspecified multiple injuries, but that is pretty vague.

Help Please!!!!

Thank you in advance,

TMC

 

[Palmtoptiger]

Hi,

There is no specific code for multiple insect bites. I don't think that we could use T07 especially if the documentation states the specific condition and sites.

See Bite(s)>site> superficial>insect on the index.

It would be a lot of codes since it's multiple site, unfortunately there is no one code for it.

You may also check these links as they have already posted this topic in the forum previously.

https://www.aapc.com/memberarea/forums/130359-icd-10-coding-insect-bites.html

https://www.aapc.com/memberarea/forums/137023-multiple-site-insect-bites.html

Thanks,

 

[danskangel313]

W57- Bitten or stung by nonvenomous insect and other nonvenomous arthropods includes any and all sites on the body. This code is just to report the external cause though, the circumstances causing an injury, not the injury itself. If there are symptoms such as rashes or other injuries, you should code those first. The T codes are just for exposure to, so if a patient has been bitten, the T codes would not be an option as it's more than exposure.

S codes describe the actual injury that the external cause led to. These are divided by anatomical location, S40.86- Insect bite (nonvenomous) of upper arm, S30.86- Insect bite (nonvenomous) of abdomen, lower back, pelvis and external genitals, S80.86- Insect bite (nonvenomous) of lower leg, and so on.

If something more specific is diagnosed, like dermatitis, you'd code according to the documentation.