Anesthesia Coding Alert

Watch for 'other' versus 'unspecified' options.

When your anesthesiologist participates in an appendix surgery, you'll have more specific diagnosis code choices for appendix removal under ICD-10, effective Oct. 1, 2013.

Separate 'Other' From 'Unspecified'

Coding for acute appendicitis will change as follows, from ICD-9 to ICD-10:

• 540.0 -- Acute appendicitis with generalized peritonitis becomes K35.2 with an identical definition
• 540.1 -- Acute appendicitis with peritoneal abscess becomes K35.3 (Acute appendicitis with localized peritonitis)
• 540.9 -- Acute appendicitis without peritonitis leads to two possible ICD-10 codes: K35.80 (Unspecified acute appendicitis) or K35.89 (Other acute appendicitis).

ICD-10 introduces a similar distinction between "other" and "unspecified" for 541 (Appendicitis unqualified), [...]

- Published on 2011-11-07