APMA News - July/August 2013 - (Page 29)

ICD-10: How to Code a Typical Infection By Jon Goldsmith, DPM, Member, APMA Coding Committee ICD-10 is coming, ready or not. And there is nothing that will stop it. Do yourself a favor—do not wait until the last minute to prepare. Those doctors who procrastinate will find it is very hard to catch up, while those doctors who prepare will transition smoothly from ICD-9 to ICD-10 with minimal bumps along the way. The APMA Coding Committee has committed to preparing APMA members for the coming of ICD-10 with a blitz of seminars, workshops, webinars, and articles. This article demonstrates how ICD-10 coding will affect your documentation of a typical infection that might be seen in your office. The Nasty Paronychia A 42-year-old healthy male presents to your office complaining of a painful ingrown nail. He reports that this local, sharp pain has been bothering him for about two weeks. He has been attempting “bathroom surgery” at home but failed to relieve the pain or eliminate the problem. He has seen drainage from the right big toe for the past three days. The patient’s past medical history is unremarkable. On exam, the patient has an incurvated nail offending the medial border of the right hallux. There is noted to be a creamy, white purulence draining from the distal medial border of the right hallux nail. There is no obvious malodor. There is localized erythema, edema, and rubor present. The neurovascular status of the patient is normal/unremarkable. The musculoskel- etal examination reveals no specific findings or subjective complaints relevant to the case. The diagnoses made include cellulitis and abscess, onychocryptosis, and painful hallux. Today, you would pull out a superbill and look for familiar ICD-9 codes—probably ones you have memorized because you use them so often. But if this patient presented on October 1, 2014, how would you tackle coding this scenario under ICD-10? For the purpose of this article, we are going to focus specifically on coding the infection portion of the case. Much as we would under ICD-9, we start by searching under “Infection” in the ICD-10 Index (typically Volume II). You will see “abscess (skin) code by site under Abscess.” Given the patient’s physical exam findings of “creamy, white purulence draining from the distal medial border of the right hallux nail [and] there is localized erythema, edema, and rubor” extending proximal to the metatarsal-phalangeal joint, a diagnosis of abscess and/or cellulitis can be made, although it is not anatomically specific as yet. Following the instructions in ICD-10 to “code by site under Abscess,” look in the Index under “Abscess” to identify the “site” of the abscess. Scrolling through “Abscess,” we locate the anatomic site: “toe.” Just like ICD-9. Who said ICD-10 was a big deal? . . . To read the rest of this article and to explore more ICD-10 resources available to you, visit www.apma.org/ICD10 today! n DO YOU HAVE A PRODUCT OR SERVICE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH PODIATRISTS? Your best bet is to advertise with APMA News! APMA News is regularly read by more podiatrists than any other publication in the profession. And more than half of our 14,000-plus readers report they have taken action based on an ad in APMA News. For more information about advertising in the most widely read publication in podiatric medicine, contact Marshall Boomer with the YGS Group at marshall.boomer@theygsgroup.com or call 800-501-9571. APMA News July/August 2013 29 http://www.apma.org/ICD10

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - July/August 2013

APMA News - July/August 2013
President's Message
Contents
Destination Hawaii: The National in 2014
Arizona Study Finds Podiatry Saves Lives and Reduces Expenses
Committee Nominations Requested
US Naval Podiatrist Trains Afghan Orthopedists
The Man Behind the Marketing: The New Face of Student Recruitment
The Benefits of Working with Residents
Bylaws Propositions Due
Health Policy and Practice Committees Meet to Tackle Reimbursement Issues
Reimbursement
ICD-10: How to Code a Typical Infection
Federal Advocacy Forum
Cosponsors to the Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act
APMAPAC Chair Report
Resolutions Submission Deadlines
Coverage Corner
IT Consultant
Inside APMA’s Social Media
Website Wisdom
On the Road with APMA
Small Business 101
CPME Update
Young Physicians’ Accomplishments
In Short
Worthy of Note
Affiliates Corner
List of Affiliated Organizations
New Members
Death Notices
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Annual Scientifi c Meeting Sponsors
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - July/August 2013