AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS - 2015 Issue 2; Ask the Editor

Newborn Coding for Physicians

The Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.16.a.2, states that “A code from category Z38 is assigned only once, to a newborn at the time of birth. If a newborn is transferred to another institution, a code from category Z38 should not be used at the receiving hospital.” Can you clarify whether a physician who sees the baby born in the hospital and follows the baby during the hospital stay, may report the code from category Z38, Liveborn infants according to place of birth and type of delivery, more than once? Or, is the guideline to be interpreted that the codes from category Z38 can only be assigned once on the initial evaluation after the birth. ...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS .

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.