tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2010 Issue 16

READER QUESTIONS : Clarify 'Other' Code for Merkel Cell

Question: When the surgeon excises a skin lesion and the pathology report returns as Merkel cell carcinoma, we've always reported 173.x (Other malignant neoplasm of skin). I've heard there is a new ICD-9 code for this condition -- what is the proper code? Georgia Subscriber Answer: ICD-9 provides six new codes specific for Merkel cell carcinoma based on body site: • 209.31 -- Merkel cell carcinoma of the face • 209.32 -- ... of the scalp and neck • 209.33 -- ... of the upper limb • 209.34 -- ... of the lower limb • 209.35 ...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci General Surgery Coding Alert.


Leverage vital, to-the-point monthly guidance to boost your reporting accuracy and your coding know-how. We make it convenient for your team to stay informed, compliant, and profitable with a subscription to TCI’s General Surgery Coding Alert.

  • Current newsletters added each month
  • Fully searchable archives - over 2100 articles
  • ALL years/issues back to 1999 organized by year and issue
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles
Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • tci General Surgery Coding Alert +Archives

demo
request yours today
subscribe
start today
newsletter
free subscription

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.