ICD-10-PCS will only be used by hospitals for inpatient procedures CPT will be used by all healthcare providers for outpatient procedures However, federal law does not require any change especially for the outpatient procedures.
Some of the reasons facilities are coding ICD-10-PCS codes for outpatient procedures are:
The diagnostic code you use needs to be identical to that used by the surgeon. The date of service should correspond to the date of the surgery. Use the same surgical CPT procedure code used by the surgeon, but add the -55 modifier to signify that you are rendering the postoperative care.
Aftercare is the post-operative care and treatment provided to patients after an operation. This includes all attendances until recovery and the final check or examination. Aftercare services can take place at a hospital, private rooms or a patient’s home. MBS fees for most surgical items in MBS Group T8 include an aftercare component.
Z98.890Z98. 890 Other specified postprocedural states - ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes.
For ambulatory surgery, code the diagnosis for which the surgery was performed. If the postoperative diagnosis is known to be different from the preoperative diagnosis at the time the diagnosis is confirmed, select the postoperative diagnosis for coding, since it is the most definitive.
This second example uses Z09, which indicates surveillance following completed treatment of a disease, condition, or injury. Its use implies that the condition has been fully treated and no longer exists. Z09 would be used for all annual follow-up exams, provided no complications or symptoms are present.
Most pre-op exams will be coded with Z01. 818. The ICD-10 instructions say to use the preprocedural diagnosis code first, and then the reason for the surgery and any additional findings. Evaluations before surgery are reimbursable services.
Use Z codes to code for surgical aftercare. Z47. 89, Encounter for other orthopedic aftercare, and. Z47.
Aftercare visit codes are assigned in situations in which the initial treatment of a disease has been performed but the patient requires continued care during the healing or recovery phase, or for the long-term consequences of the disease.
Follow-up. The difference between aftercare and follow-up is the type of care the physician renders. Aftercare implies the physician is providing related treatment for the patient after a surgery or procedure. Follow-up, on the other hand, is surveillance of the patient to make sure all is going well.
Coding conventions require the condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a “code first” note with the manifestation code and a “use additional code” note with the etiology code in ICD-10.
However if the test results are inconclusive and the MD documents “probable,” “suspected” or “inconclusive” COVID-19, do NOT assign code U07. 1. Instead, code the signs and symptoms.
Under ICD-10 coding rules, in the outpatient setting, if you note your patient's diagnosis as “probable” or use any other term that means you haven't established a diagnosis, you are not allowed to report the code for the suspected condition. However, you may report codes for symptoms, signs, or test results.
Preoperative examinations may be billed by using an appropriate CPT code (e.g., new patient, established patient, or consultation). Such non-global preoperative examinations are payable if they are medically necessary and meet the documentation and other requirements for the service billed.
Definition: The Preoperative Diagnosis Section records the surgical diagnosis or diagnoses that are assigned to the patient before the surgical procedure, and is the reason for the surgery. The Preoperative Diagnosis is, in the opinion of the surgeon, the diagnosis that will be confirmed during surgery.
The Postoperative Diagnosis Section records the diagnosis or diagnoses discovered or confirmed during the surgery. Often it is the same as the Preoperative Diagnosis.
18.
Follow-up. The difference between aftercare and follow-up is the type of care the physician renders. Aftercare implies the physician is providing related treatment for the patient after a surgery or procedure. Follow-up, on the other hand, is surveillance of the patient to make sure all is going well.
Aftercare codes are found in categories Z42-Z49 and Z51. Aftercare is one of the 16 types of Z-codes covered in the 2012 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines and Reporting.
Free, official coding info for 2022 ICD-10-CM G97.82 - includes detailed rules, notes, synonyms, ICD-9-CM conversion, index and annotation crosswalks, DRG grouping and more.
ICD-10-CM Codes › Z00-Z99 Factors influencing health status and contact with health services ; Z77-Z99 Persons with potential health hazards related to family and personal history and certain conditions influencing health status ; Other postprocedural states Z98 Other postprocedural states Z98-
Many orthopedics procedures, especially shoulder and knee surgeries, often require a pain block to manage the patients' pain postoperatively. However, these claims are some of the most commonly denied in ASCs on the first pass, often due to payor issues or confusion on the front-end. Bill Gilbert,
ICD10 codes matching "Postoperative Pain" Codes: = Billable G89.18 Other acute postprocedural pain; G89.28 Other chronic postprocedural pain
Article Text. This article contains coding and other guidelines that complement the Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for Pain Management. Coding Information: Procedure codes may be subject to National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits or OPPS packaging edits.
A. Introduction The principles of correct coding discussed in Chapter I apply to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes in the range 00000-01999.
Postoperative pain not associated with a specific postoperative complication is reported with a code from Category G89, Pain not elsewhere classified, in Chapter 6, Diseases of the Nervous System and Sense Organs. There are four codes related to postoperative pain, including:
If the documentation is not clear, query the person who wrote it . There are a number of postoperative complications that may be the cause either acute or chronic pain. The health record must be reviewed carefully to determine that a cause-and-effect relationship exists between the complication and the pain.
The key elements to remember when coding complications of care are the following: Code assignment is based on the provider’s documentation of the relationship between the condition and the medical care or procedure.
Only when postoperative pain is documented to present beyond what is routine and expected for the relevant surgical procedure is it a reportable diagnosis. Postoperative pain that is not considered routine or expected further is classified by whether the pain is associated with a specific, documented postoperative complication.
Determining whether to report postoperative pain as an additional diagnosis is dependent on the documentation, which, again, must indicate that the pain is not normal or routine for the procedure if an additional code is used. If the documentation supports a diagnosis of non-routine, severe or excessive pain following a procedure, it then also must be determined whether the postoperative pain is occurring due to a complication of the procedure – which also must be documented clearly. Only then can the correct codes be assigned.
Postoperative pain typically is considered a normal part of the recovery process following most forms of surgery. Such pain often can be controlled using typical measures such as pre-operative, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications; local anesthetics injected into the operative wound prior to suturing; postoperative analgesics;
Lauri Gray, RHIT, CPC, has worked in the health information management field for 30 years. She began her career as a health records supervisor in a multi-specialty clinic. Following that she worked in the managed care industry as a contracting and coding specialist for a major HMO. Most recently she has worked as a clinical technical editor of coding and reimbursement print and electronic products. She has also taught medical coding at the College of Eastern Utah. Areas of expertise include: ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure coding, physician coding and reimbursement, claims adjudication processes, third-party reimbursement, RBRVS and fee schedule development. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
If the line between acceptable and unacceptable uses of aftercare codes still seems a bit fuzzy, just remember that in most cases, you should only use aftercare codes if there’s no other way for you to express that a patient is on the “after” side of an aforementioned “before-and-after” event.
ICD-10 introduced the seventh character to streamline the way providers denote different encounter types—namely, those in volving active treatment versus those involving subsequent care. However, not all ICD-10 diagnosis codes include the option to add a seventh character. For example, most of the codes contained in chapter 13 of the tabular list (a.k.a. the musculoskeletal chapter) do not allow for seventh characters. And that makes sense considering that most of those codes represent conditions—including bone, joint, or muscle conditions that are recurrent or resulting from a healed injury—for which therapy treatment does progress in the same way it does for acute injuries.
Essentially, you are indicating that the patient is receiving aftercare for the injury. Thus, you should not use aftercare codes in conjunction with injury codes, because doing so would be redundant. 3. You can use Z codes to code for surgical aftercare.
In situations where it’s appropriate to use Z codes, “aftercare codes are generally the first listed diagnosis,” Gray writes. However, that doesn’t mean the Z code should be the only diagnosis code listed for that patient.
In many cases, yes; a patient who undergoes surgery mid-plan of care should receive a re-evaluation. However, per the above-linked article, "some commercial payers may consider the post-op treatment period a new episode of care, in which case you’d need to use an evaluation code.".
Even so, therapists should only use ICD-10 aftercare codes to express patient diagnoses in a very select set of circumstances.
Codes from chapter 18 are not to be assigned as principal when a related, definitive diagnosis has been established. There will be times when a definitive diagnosis cannot be determined. In these cases, sign/symptom code (s) may be assigned. Example: Patient is admitted with chest pain.
When a patient is admitted from medical observation for a condition that worsens or does not improve, assign that condition as principal. For an admission following post-op observation, assign the condition that is responsible for the inpatient admission as principal.
Section IV outlines guidelines for coding and reporting outpatient services. In addition to the official coding guidelines, facilities will likely have their own, internal guidelines for you to follow when selecting principal and secondary diagnosis and procedural codes.
Sequence the condition that requires rehabilitation as principal.#N#Example: A patient with right-sided hemiplegia following a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is admitted for rehabilitation services.#N#Code I69.351 Hemiplegia and hemiparesis following cerebral infarction affecting right dominant side is the PDx.#N#If the condition is no longer present, assign the appropriate aftercare code.#N#Example: A 68-year-old male with type II diabetes, COPD, and hypertension underwent LT total hip arthroplasty due to OA. He is now admitted for rehab services.#N#Code Z47.1 Aftercare following joint replacement surgery is the PDx.#N#Note: For rehabilitation services following active treatment of an injury, assign the injury code with the appropriate seventh character for subsequent encounter.
Be aware that a patient’s admitting diagnosis may not end up being the same as the PDx at time of discharge . As the patient is worked up during their stay, you will determine which condition (s) were present on admission, which condition (s) were confirmed, and which conditions were ruled-out.
Abnormal findings (e.g., laboratory, pathology, diagnostic results, etc.) are not coded in the inpatient setting unless the provider indicates their clinical significance.
Postoperative pain not associated with a specific postoperative complication is reported with a code from Category G89, Pain not elsewhere classified, in Chapter 6, Diseases of the Nervous System and Sense Organs. There are four codes related to postoperative pain, including:
The key elements to remember when coding complications of care are the following: Code assignment is based on the provider’s documentation of the relationship between the condition and the medical care or procedure.
Determining whether to report postoperative pain as an additional diagnosis is dependent on the documentation, which, again, must indicate that the pain is not normal or routine for the procedure if an additional code is used. If the documentation supports a diagnosis of non-routine, severe or excessive pain following a procedure, it then also must be determined whether the postoperative pain is occurring due to a complication of the procedure – which also must be documented clearly. Only then can the correct codes be assigned.
Postoperative pain typically is considered a normal part of the recovery process following most forms of surgery. Such pain often can be controlled using typical measures such as pre-operative, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications; local anesthetics injected into the operative wound prior to suturing; postoperative analgesics;
Only when postoperative pain is documented to present beyond what is routine and expected for the relevant surgical procedure is it a reportable diagnosis. Postoperative pain that is not considered routine or expected further is classified by whether the pain is associated with a specific, documented postoperative complication.