AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS - 2016 Issue 3; Ask the Editor
Pressure Injury
Please advise how to code pressure injury in ICD-10-CM. There is no entry in the alphabetic index for pressure injury. In April 2016, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) announced a change in terminology from “pressure ulcer” to “pressure injury” and also updated the stages of pressure injury. The change in terminology more accurately describes pressure injuries to both intact and ulcerated skin. In the previous staging system Stage 1 and Deep Tissue Injury described injured intact skin, while the other stages described open ulcers. This led to confusion because the definitions for each of the stages referred to the injuries as “pressure ulcers.” In light of the NPUAP redefining pressure ulcers as pressure injury, can coders assume that a documented “staged pressure injury” is assigned to the corresponding decubitus/pressure ulcer codes? Will new index entries be created for “pressure injury” with the new code update? ...
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Article Overview
This article addresses pressure injury terminology in the context of ICD-10-CM coding. It explains why the terminology update from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel matters for coding workflows and discusses the general issue of how staged documentation, index terminology, and future code updates may affect coder interpretation. The content is aimed at coders and coding professionals who need to understand the scope of the terminology change and its relevance to diagnosis coding.
Why This Topic Matters
Terminology changes can affect diagnosis coding accuracy, index lookup practices, and communication among clinical and coding staff. Understanding how pressure injury documentation is treated in ICD-10-CM helps coding professionals navigate staging language and anticipated code set updates.
What You Will Learn
- How pressure injury terminology relates to ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding
- Why the terminology update from NPUAP is relevant to coding workflows
- How staged documentation and index terminology may affect code assignment considerations
- What kinds of future code update questions the article raises
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Coding auditors
- Coding managers
- Health information management professionals
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