You Be the Coder: Get Around Coding GAVE with Coagulation

Question: If our gastroenterologist is treating a condition of gastric antral vascular ectasia, not bleeding, using the argon plasma coagulator, how do I code it?

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Answer: Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia (GAVE) is a condition that is often referred to as "watermelon stomach" due to the distinct watermelon-like appearance it provides to the stomach lining when it is observed using an endoscope. This is basically a type of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that has a tendency to bleed. There were no proper diagnostic codes for GAVE until recently until 2006: (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/icd9/agendasep06.pdf)

Under the new ICD-9-CM codes released, two codes were assigned [...]

- Published on 2011-12-19