Tip of the week: Prepare for 2009 ICD-9-CM code changes for carcinoid tumors
HIM Connection, August 12, 2008
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Prior to the release of the 2009 ICD-9-CM codes that will take effect October 1, codes for carcinoid tumors have never offered specificity, nor have they adequately represented the clinical classification and presentation of the disease process. In 2009, all of this will change, as new codes further specify benign versus malignant carcinoids, as well as the organs or organ systems from which those carcinoids originated.
ICD-9-CM currently classifies carcinoid tumors as malignant neoplasms according to site and benign tumor categories. As you’ll see when you look under “carcinoid” in the ICD-9 book and then under “benign,” the book sends you to code 220. However, ICD-9 code 220 is benign neoplasm of the ovary. In reality, carcinoid tumors appear and grow in various parts of the body in both malignant and benign form. The benign form is not just limited to the ovaries as the current ICD-9-CM classifications leads one to believe. Expanding codes into malignant and benign categories according to body site will facilitate case study reviews and enable tracking and trending of clinical outcomes with different treatment modalities.
Editor’s note: This tip was adapted from a recent article on JustCoding.com. For more information, click here.
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