A92. 4 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM A92.
Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides. The fungus is known to live in the soil in the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico and Central and South America.
Coccidioidomycosis, a fungal disease called “cocci” or “valley fever,” is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia in the southwestern US. In 2011, more than 20,000 cases were reported in the US, twice as many cases as tuberculosis.
Valley fever is an infection caused by a fungus that lives in the soil. About 15,000 cases are reported in the United States each year, mostly from Arizona and California. Valley fever can be misdiagnosed because its symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory illnesses.
Valley fever is caused by a person inhaling spores of certain fungi. The fungi that cause valley fever — Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii — live in the soil in parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, California, Texas and Washington. It's named after the San Joaquin Valley in California.
Sputum samples, produced by coughing or obtained by bronchoscopy, to look for the fungus in a lab culture. Chest X-ray and/or CT scan (to look for pneumonia) Biopsy of the affected site, typically the lung, to look for the fungus in the infected tissue.
Pneumonia due to other specified infectious organisms J16. 8 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM J16. 8 became effective on October 1, 2021.
Patients and doctors may think a patient has pneumonia, but, because no tests have been done to identify valley fever, the fungus can spread and cause meningitis, a dangerous swelling of the brain. “A simple pneumonia is now a meningitis,” Heidari said.
The most common way that healthcare providers test for Valley fever is by taking a blood sample and sending it to a laboratory to look for Coccidioides antibodies or antigens. Healthcare providers may do imaging tests such as chest x-rays or CT scans of your lungs to look for Valley fever pneumonia.
Long-term outlook The chronic form of the infection can cause lung abscesses and scarring in your lungs. There's roughly a one percent chance that the fungal infection could spread to the rest of your body, causing disseminated valley fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis, unspecified B38. 2 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.
The scientific name for Valley fever is “coccidioidomycosis,” and it's also sometimes called “San Joaquin Valley fever” or “desert rheumatism.” The term “Valley fever” usually refers to Coccidioides infection in the lungs, but the infection can spread to other parts of the body in severe cases (this is called “ ...