Cerumen (ear wax) impaction. Impacted cerumen. ICD-10-CM H61.20 is grouped within Diagnostic Related Group (s) (MS-DRG v37.0): 154 Other ear, nose, mouth and throat diagnoses with mcc.
Impacted cerumen, bilateral. H61.23 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2019 edition of ICD-10-CM H61.23 became effective on October 1, 2018. This is the American ICD-10-CM version of H61.23 - other international versions of ICD-10 H61.23 may differ.
If the cerumen is impacted, the method used to remove it. CPT® guidelines tell us, “For cerumen removal that is not impacted, see E/M service code …” such as new or established office patient (99201-99215), subsequent hospital care (99231-99233), etc.
Cerumen impairs the examination of clinically significant portions of the external auditory canal, tympanic membrane, or middle ear condition; Extremely hard, dry, irritative cerumen causes symptoms such as pain, itching, hearing loss, etc.;
Like CPT 69210, (removal of impacted cerumen requiring instrumentation, unilateral) 69209 requires that a physician or qualified healthcare professional make the decision to irrigate/lavage. However, unlike 69210, 69209 allows removal to be carried out by clinical staff.
ICD-10-CM Code for Impacted cerumen, right ear H61. 21.
ICD-10-CM Code for Impacted cerumen, left ear H61. 22.
The removal of impacted cerumen (69209, 69210, G0268) is only medically necessary when reported with a diagnosis of impacted cerumen (ICD-10 codes H61. 2–H61.
Cerumen impaction is defined as an accumulation of cerumen that causes symptoms or prevents assessment of the ear canal, tympanic membrane, or audiovestibular system; complete obstruction is not required.
Impacted cerumen (se-ROO-men) is when earwax (cerumen) builds up in the ear and blocks the ear canal; it can cause temporary hearing loss and ear pain.
When you are using 69210 for ear wax impaction, it is appropriate to use an E/M code (with modifier -25) if the patient received a true evaluation and management for a separate problem (such as bronchitis or pharyngitis) or for complicating problems (such as dizziness or otitis media).
CPT code 69210, Removal impacted cerumen, (separate procedure) one or both ears.
earwaxDefinition of cerumen : earwax. Other Words from cerumen Example Sentences Learn More About cerumen.
Irrigation of Ear using Irrigating Substance, Percutaneous Approach, Diagnostic. ICD-10-PCS 3E1B38X is a specific/billable code that can be used to indicate a procedure.
ICD-10 Code for Otitis media, unspecified- H66. 9- Codify by AAPC.
1 – Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. ICD-Code N40. 1 is a billable ICD-10 code used for healthcare diagnosis reimbursement of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. Its corresponding ICD-9 code is 600.01.
The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM H61.20 became effective on October 1, 2021.
H61.20 is not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used a principal diagnosis. The following code (s) above H61.20 contain annotation back-references. Annotation Back-References.
The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM H61.21 became effective on October 1, 2021.
H61.21 is not usually sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used a principal diagnosis. The following code (s) above H61.21 contain annotation back-references. Annotation Back-References.
ICD-9-CM: ICD-9-CM provides a single diagnosis code for impacted cerumen: 380.4 (Impacted cerumen). The ICD-9 manual also directs you to report an additional external cause code, if applicable, to identify the cause of the ear condition.
Documentation: Pediatricians typically make a diagnosis of impacted cerumen by examining the patient's ear canal and eardrum with an otoscope. Irrigation is the most common method of removing impacted cerumen; the process involves washing out the ear canal with water from a commercial irrigator or a syringe with a catheter attached.
The condition occurs when layers of wax within the ear canal build up in the point of blocking the canal and putting pressure on the eardrum. Cerumen is most likely to become impacted when it is pushed against the eardrum by objects people put in their ears, or when it is trapped against the eardrum by a hearing aid. Less common causes include overproduction of earwax or an abnormally narrow ear canal that tends to trap the wax.
This ear wax removed by the physician using instrumentation and direct visualization is consistent with CPT® code 69210 (Removal impacted cerumen [separate procedure], 1 or both ears) for the procedure. This code cannot be used for irrigation only.
Partial loss of hearing is the most important symptom of cerumen impaction. Other symptoms can be itching, tinnitus (noise or ringing in the ears), a sensation of fullness in the ear, and pain in the ear (otalgia). In children younger than one year, cerumen impaction is sometimes discovered during a routine check-up when the doctor finds that the earwax is blocking his or her view of the eardrum.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has made no secret of the fact that it is less than enthralled with the proposition of adopting ICD-10 as the new diagnosis coding system. Not only did the AMA's House of Delegates vote last year to repeal ICD-10 (which CMS did not adopt), but the group also applauded the news earlier this year that ICD-10 would be delayed from its original implementation date of October 2013.
CPT® guidelines tell us, “For cerumen removal that is not impacted, see E/M service code …” such as new or established office patient (99201-99215), subsequent hospital care (99231-99233), etc. In other words: If the earwax isn’t impacted, removal is included in the documented evaluation and management (E/M) service reported and may not be separately billed.#N#Per the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), cerumen is impacted if one or more of the following conditions are present: 1 Cerumen impairs the examination of clinically significant portions of the external auditory canal, tympanic membrane, or middle ear condition; 2 Extremely hard, dry, irritative cerumen causes symptoms such as pain, itching, hearing loss, etc.; 3 Cerumen is associated with foul odor, infection, or dermatitis; or 4 Obstructive, copious cerumen cannot be removed without magnification and multiple instrumentations requiring physician skills.
The AMA’s CPT® Changes 2016: An Insider’s View confirms, “Impacted cerumen is typically extremely hard and dry and accompanied by pain and itching. Impacted cerumen obstructing the external auditory canal and tympanic membrane can lead to hearing loss.”
Both 69209 and 69210 are unilateral procedures . For removal of impacted earwax from both ears, append modifier 50 Bilateral procedure to the appropriate code. In the example above of the 7-year-old child, if irrigation occurred in both ears, appropriate coding is 69209-50.#N#When billing Medicare payers, different bilateral rules apply for 69210. The 2016 Medicare National Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value File assigns 69210 a “2” bilateral indicator. This means, for Medicare payers, the relative value units assigned to 69210 “are already based on the procedure being performed as a bilateral procedure.” In contrast to CPT® instructions, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allows us to report only one unit of 69210 for a bilateral procedure. CMS does allow us to bill a bilateral procedure for cerumen removal by lavage using 69209-50.#N#Finally, note that some payers may stipulate “advanced practitioner skill” is necessary to report removal of impacted earwax (i.e., payers may require that a physician provide 69209, 69210). Query your individual payers to be certain of their requirements.
Code 69210 only captures the direct method of earwax removal utilizing curettes, hooks, forceps, and suction. Another less invasive method uses a continuous low pressure flow of liquid (eg, saline water) to gently loosen impacted cerumen and flush it out … Code 69209 enables the irrigation or lavage method of impacted cerumen removal to be separately reported…
You may report a single unit of either 69209 or 69210 (never both), per ear treated. As an example of proper reporting for 69209, CPT® Changes 2016: An Insider’s View provides the following: