Nearly 500 codes – including the two new U codes for COVID-19 and vaping-related disorders - are proposed to be added to the ICD-10 code set under the FY2021 Hospital Inpatient PPS (IPPS) proposed rule, released May 11.
In addition to the 490 new codes, this update also includes 47 revised codes and 58 codes deemed invalid. If finalized, these changes would take effect Oct. 1.
The proposal includes 12 new codes to capture other pathological fractures (M80.8AX- and M80.0AX-).
These could be helpful in the home health demographic, notes Sherri Parson, HCS-D, vice president of education and control standards for coding outsourcer Quality in Real Time (QIRT), of Floral Park, N.Y.
“For example, we currently have no good code to capture a pathological fracture of a rib, which happens quite a bit in the home health demographic,” Parson adds.
Also of note for home health are the proposed codes to capture stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) in three different stages.
The new codes would be N18.30 (Chronic kidney disease, stage 3 unspecified), N18.31 (Chronic kidney disease, stage 3a) and N18.32 (Chronic kidney disease, stage 3b).
“The addition of the CKD 3a and 3b will add some specificity if we get that in the documentation,” says Parson. “It is always good when we can add more specificity.”
The proposed code set also contains 18 new, detailed codes for sickle cell anemia. The new codes specify complications related to the condition such as D57.213 (Sickle-cell/Hb-C disease with cerebral vascular involvement) and D57.431 (Sickle-cell thalassemia beta zero with acute chest syndrome).
Coders will also find 17 new codes that describe withdrawal from substances including alcohol, cocaine and opioids. For example, F10.932 (Alcohol use, unspecified with withdrawal with perceptual disturbance).