ICD-10 Committee issues tabular instructions, indexing info for COVID-19 code

by Laura Evans, CPC on Mar 25, 2020
Providers and payers now have revised tabular and index information for new ICD-10-CM code U07.1 (COVID-19) issued today by the panel that maintains the diagnosis code set in the U.S.
 
The ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee issued addenda for both the COVID-19 code and code U07.0 (Vaping-related disorder), both of which take effect April 1. 
 
The latest COVID-19 coding information comes a day after a set of FAQs on the new U07.1 code was issued by the American Hospital Association (AHA) Coding Clinic.
 
For COVID-19 code U07.1, the new tabular information confirms that you should list the code first for confirmed cases and use additional codes to report manifestations of the disease such as pneumonia.
 
In addition, the following codes have an Excludes1 note with U07.1, meaning that you would not bill them in association with the COVID-19 code:
  • Coronavirus infection, unspecified (B34.2).
  • Coronavirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere (B97.2-).
  • Pneumonia due to SARS-associated coronavirus (J12.81).
In the ICD-10-CM index, listings for COVID-19 were added under “Coronavirus,” as well as under Diseases and Infections.
 
The ICD-10 panel announced at its March 18 meeting that it was moving up the effective date for the COVID-19 code to April 1 from the originally planned Oct. 1.
 
The committee had previously issued tabular information for the new vaping code in January. 
 
In the latest addenda, the index information for the vaping code appears to have been expanded to include appearances under several headings, including Damage, lung; Disease, lung; Disorder, lung; and Injury, lung.
Blog Tags: COVID-19, ICD-10
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