tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2011 Issue 5

ICD-10: Inguinal Hernia Dx Still Depends on Obstruction, Gangrene, and More

Watch tricky hierarchy switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10.You'll have the same number of code choices and the same diagnostic distinctions for coding inguinal hernias when ICD-9 becomes ICD-10 in 2013. But elevating the bilateral/unilateral distinction from the fifth digit in ICD-9 to the fourth digit in ICD-10 confounds the one-to-one code correspondence. ICD-9 Prioritizes Gangrene, ObstructionICD-9 lists three, four-digit codes for inguinal hernia:550.0 -- Inguinal hernia with gangrene550.1 -- Inguinal hernia, with obstruction, without mention of gangrene550.9 -- Inguinal hernia, without mention of obstruction or gangrene.You should append a fifth digit to each of...

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