Accurately Coding Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

**Updated with new information as of 8/2/2020**

As our understanding of the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve from a clinical perspective, the coding guidance issued by the AHA continues to evolve as well. Changes to the previous guidance provided are in bold and captions with the text **Updated 8/2/2020** to help you spot the new guidelines and get the information you need quickly. AHIMA also has an updated article showing the latest AHA guidance with many different clinical scenarios addressed so I will link you to this great resource as well: https://journal.ahima.org/ahima-and-aha-faq-on-icd-10-cm-coding-for-covid-19/ .

While ICD-10-CM is not the usual focus of content we provide, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact healthcare professionals and facilities across the globe and is impacting daily life for  many of us as well. With all the preparations going on and interruptions to daily life, one impact we may not have considered is the impact this new virus will have for us in our daily coding.

The CDC recently published interim guidelines for coding ICD-10-CM related to the treatment of patients who test positive for COVID-19 and for those who have had a known or suspected exposure and require further testing and workup. While the ICD-10-CM codes for COVID-19 might not be top of mind right now, ensuring that positive cases of COVID-19 and suspected exposure and testing are captured accurately from a coding perspective will ultimately help organizations who track and trend statistics in global health events understand the full impact of this new virus. So with that in mind, we want to dedicate today’s article to the proper coding of COVID-19  from an ICD-10-CM perspective, and provide a few case examples that might help those of you coding services for the treatment of patients impacted by the virus.

ICD-10-CM Codes for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19):

• For DOS through 3/31/2020: For patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 undergoing treatment of conditions related to COVID-19, you will report first the code for the condition being treated (e.g., J80 for acute respiratory distress syndrome) followed by code B97.29: Other coronavirus as the cause of disease classified elsewhere.
• For DOS on or after 4/1/2020: For patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 undergoing treatment of conditions related to COVID-19, you will report first the code U07.1: COVID-19 followed by any codes for the condition(s) being treated (e.g., J80 for acute respiratory distress syndrome).
• For patients with confirmed exposure to COVID-19 (e.g., a relative who is positive for the virus) who are undergoing further testing and workup to confirm if they too have COVID-19, report ICD-10-CM code Z20.828: Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other viral communicable diseases.
• For patients with concern about exposure to COVID-19 that is ruled out after further workup, you can report ICD-10-CM code Z03.818: Encounter for observation for suspected exposure to other biological agents ruled out.

Coding Tips for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19):

• It is really important that we only code B97.29 or U07.1 once the patient has a definitive diagnosis of COVID-19. If the documentation indicates that COVID-19 is “suspected,” “probable,” or uses other similar terms of uncertainty, code the signs/symptoms the patient is being treated for (e.g., fever, shortness of breath, etc.) plus Z20.828 for exposure to COVID-19 if that exposure is supported by the documentation. **Updated 8/2/2020: It is important to note that a physician can clinically confirm that a patient has COVID-19 in their medical records even if the test results are still pending. A physician can also deem that a patient is positive for COVID-19 even if their test is ultimately negative. If a physician diagnosed a patient with COVID-19 while the test results were pending and the test is ultimately negative, though, the physician should be queried to ensure the diagnosis of COVID-19 is still appropriate. If the physician confirms the diagnosis, you may code U07.1 per the latest guidance from AHA.**
• The documentation must support the link between COVID-19 and the condition being treated (e.g., viral pneumonia due to COVID-19) to code the ICD-10-CM code for the condition being treated along with B97.29 or the primary diagnosis U07.1. There is not a presumed cause and effect relationship between respiratory conditions and COVID-19. While patients with more severe cases of COVID-19 are likely to have respiratory conditions as a result, there are many other conditions and organisms (e.g., bacteria) unrelated to COVID-19 that may cause respiratory conditions as well. If documentation is unclear, please query the physician or other qualified healthcare professional. Accurate coding is really important in these cases. **Updated 8/2/2020: Per the AHA, the physician does not need to link the COVID-19 explicitly as the cause of a respiratory condition to code U07.1. The positive test result or the physician’s clinical statement that the patient has COVID-19 is sufficient to code both the U07.1 and the respiratory condition documented.**
• Notice that B97.29 is a code for “cause of disease classified elsewhere.” This means that B97.29 is not a principal or primary diagnosis but instead would be reported secondary to the code for the condition being treated. In contrast, the new code U07.1 which is effective for DOS on or after 4/1/2020 may be reported as a primary ICD-10-CM code.
• **Updated 8/2/2020: Since we are now several months into this pandemic, we are starting to see patients with a history of COVID-19. This history may be important to document and code because the history of COVID may effect patient treatment. Per the AHA, a history of COVID-19 should be coded with Z86.19. If the patient is seen in follow up for a history of COVID-19, you can code both Z09 (follow up) and Z86.19 (for the history of COVID-19) to explain the reason for the encounter. Otherwise, Z86.19 may be used as an additional diagnosis with the primary diagnosis explaining reason for care (e.g., patient presents for surgery for CAD and the physician documents they have a history of COVID-19 but are now asymptomatic and testing negative – you could code I25.10 followed by Z86.19). **
• **Updated 8/2/2020: Finally, we also have some patients with sequela of the disease. Again as we learn more about COVID-19, reports of patients who have been deemed “long-haulers” who are having sequela effects from COVID infection weeks or months prior have emerged. Per the AHA, if a patient presents for treatment of a sequela of COVID-19, code first the condition being treated followed by code B94.8 to capture the sequela COVID-19. While B94.8 is not unique to COVID-19, since COVID-19 is an infectious disease, and we have direct guidance from AHA to use this code for COVID-19 sequelas, adding B94.8 is appropriate.**

Case Examples- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19):

Example #1: A 56-year-old woman presents to the hospital with a three day history of dry cough, low-grade fever, and respiratory distress. The patient is admitted by the emergency department physician and ultimately tests positive for novel coronavirus . A pulmonologist is then consulted. After obtaining a chest x-ray, the pulmonologist diagnoses the patient with viral pneumonia related to COVID-19 and recommends a treatment plan to the physician who requested the consult. The visit is a level 4 consult. What is the coding for the pulmonologist?

Answer Example #1: CPT code is 99254 (for a level 4 inpatient consult for non-Medicare payers that accept consult codes or 99222 for Medicare or other payers that no longer allow consults). For a DOS on or prior to 3/31/2020, the ICD-10-CM codes for the pulmonologist will be J12.89 (other viral pneumonia) and B97.29 (other coronavirus as the cause of disease classified elsewhere). For a DOS on or after 4/1/2020, the ICD-10-CM codes for the pulmonologist will be U07.1 (COVID-19) and J12.89 (other viral pneumonia). While the patient presents with signs/symptoms, she now has a definitive diagnosis of novel cornavirus (i.e., COVID-19) and was diagnosed during the encounter as having viral pneumonia related to the COVID-19. Because the cause and effect between the viral pneumonia and the COVID-19 is documented, it is appropriate to code the viral pneumonia first followed by the code for COVID-19.

Example #2: A 70-year-old man has been admitted to the hospital for the past 5 days. The admitting physician has already diagnosed him with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19, and his respiratory distress continues to worsen. The hospital intensivist performs emergent intubation to support his lungs. No other care other than the intubation is provided by the intensivist. What is the appropriate coding for this scenario?

Answer Example #2: CPT code 31500 would be reported for the emergent intubation. For a DOS on or prior to 3/31/2020, the ICD-10-CM codes for the intensivist will be J80 (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and B97.29 (other coronavirus as the cause of disease classified elsewhere). For a DOS on or after 4/1/2020, the ICD-10-CM codes for the intensivist will be U07.1 (COVID-19) and J80 (acute respiratory distress syndrome). Because the cause and effect between the ARDS and the COVID-19 is documented, it is appropriate to code the ARDS first followed by the code for COVID-19.

Example #3: A 25-year-old male who recently traveled to China with his family presents with a 2 day history of dry cough and a fever of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit. His father was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and was also traveling with him. The emergency room physician provides a level 4 ER visit including ordering a chest x-ray to rule out more severe respiratory disease and ordering a test for COVID-19 given the patient’s travel history and proximity to a family member who is positive for the virus. Test results will take another 1-2 days to return. What is the appropriate coding for the ER physician’s work?

Answer Example #3: CPT code is 99284 (for a level 4 emergency room visit). The ICD-10-CM codes for the ER physician will be R05 (cough), R50.9 (fever, unspecified), and Z20.828 (Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other viral communicable diseases).While the patient could certainly have COVID-19 given his recent travel to China and the fact that a close family member already has the disease, his test results are still pending at this time. Remember to only code B97.29 or U07.1 if the diagnosis of COVID-19 is definitive. For now, we should code the signs/symptoms he presented with (the cough and the fever) and his known contact with/exposure to COVID-19 through contact with his dad. **Updated 8/2/2020: The most recent AHA guidance suggests holding the claim for the test results to come back to ensure accurate coding of COVID-related diagnoses. Work with your employer/healthcare institution on the best coding protocols for your patients and specialty.**

To read the CDC’s guidance in its entirety, you can click on the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/icd/ICD-10-CM-Official-Coding-Gudance-Interim-Advice-coronavirus-feb-20-2020.pdf.