tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2008 Issue 10

ICD-9 2009 Update: Update Cancerous Pleural Fluid, Pneumonia Diagnoses

You can now code pleural effusions based on malignancy The ICD-9 2009 manual will bring a few changes to the pleural effusion and pneumonia categories. ED coders should be sure to note these changes before the new codes take effect Oct. 1. Code 511.81 if Fluid is Cancerous The new code in the pleural effusion set is 511.81 (Malignant pleural effusion). Use this diagnosis code when the pleural fluid is cancerous, confirms Jeff Berman, MD, FCCP, executive director of the Florida Pulmonary Society. "A malignant pleural effusion is caused by a cancerous invasion of the pleura. This...

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