Pediatric Conference Will Help You Code The Right Way

By Author: Julia Rose
Total Articles: 89
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The situation: A pediatrician saw a little boy with what she called retained tympanostomy tubes. The tubes had worked their way out of the drum and were in the ear canals. She was successful in removing one by irrigation, but failed to remove the other.


Since the coder wasn't sure how to diagnose this, she contacted her local ENT office. The coder at the ENT office said she would report 381.10 as this is why the tubes were placed, and then V80.3.


But the coder was not satisfied with the answer as she thought there were better codes that she could make use of.


Here, the ENT coder is not altogether wrong. For tube removal, be it accidental or intentional, the coder should use the reason the tubes were originally placed such as chronic serous otitis media (381.10). The coder need not add the screening code (V80.3, Special screening for neurological, eye, and ear diseases).


A common mistake is to treat the tubes as foreign bodies (931, Foreign body in ear). A medical device, however, is not considered a foreign body.


Being a pediatric ...
... coder, you'll bump into such situations at regular intervals and there is no escaping such situations. But if you keep yourself informed of the latest in pediatric coding by attending pediatric coding conferences and by other modes of learning, you can walk out of such tricky situations with ease.


In case you're planning to go for a pediatric conference and gather more information on your specialty, you can head to Orlando, FL this December, which will help stay clear of incorrect coding.


Gain knowledge about medical coding by attending proper medical coding conferences along with premier coding experts, CDs, tapes and transcripts of coding training information by specialty.