Welter Healthcare Partners is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest news regarding COVID-19. Beginning April 1st providers can start to use U07.1 for the diagnosis code of COVID-19. Read below to find out more about this coding update. n
Written by: Laura Evans, CPC Mar 18, 2020
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Providers in the U.S. will have a specific ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for the COVID-19 virus beginning April 1.
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During a meeting today, the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee announced that it would adopt the World Health Organization (WHO) code, U07.1 (COVID-19), effective April 1.
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Previously, the panel had planned to implement the code beginning October 1 in the U.S. But the committee moved up the adoption date after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and President Trump declared the spread of the virus a national emergency, explained Donna Pickett, head of the diagnosis coding side of the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee. She announced the April 1 implementation date during the March 18 committee meeting.
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Prior to April 1, providers can continue to report based on previously published interim guidelines, which outlines, among other things, how to report illnesses caused by COVID-19.
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Note that code U07.1 should be reported only for confirmed cases. Providers should continue to follow the interim guidelines for unconfirmed cases of suspected exposure or symptoms.
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Code U07.1 is designed to be a primary code, and you are to code also pneumonia and all other manifestations, Pickett advised during the meeting.
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Providers on the call noted that they are seeing testing only for severe cases and asked whether there are specific codes for exposure to COVID-19 or suspected cases of the virus that are symptomatic. Currently, there are not, Pickett responded.
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The ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee plans to update coding information about the code change on its website by March 20, 2020.
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Editor’s note: This is an unfolding story. Stay tuned for additional coverage.