Health Information Management

Q&A: Coding for a DPOAE hearing test for a newborn

HIM Connection, February 8, 2011

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Q: What code should I report for a distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) hearing test for a newborn? The only one I can find is ICD-9-CM procedure code 95.47 (hearing examination, not otherwise specified). Is this correct, or is another code more appropriate?

A: Based on the ICD-9-CM Manual’s alphabetic index, 95.47 is the correct code for a DPOAE hearing test in a newborn. Neither Coding Clinic nor any other official guideline provides additional information. ICD-9-CM Volume 3 procedure codes are occasionally somewhat nondescript with respect to identifying certain procedures.
 
Editor’s note: Shannon E. McCall, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC, CCDS, director of HIM and coding at HCPro, Inc., in Danvers, MA, answered this question in the February issue of Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies.



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