New Respiratory Acidosis Codes
Published on
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Did You Know?
There are new codes for Respiratory Acidosis as of October 1, 2022.
Why It Matters?
With the code expansion, there was also a change in the Alphabetic Index. Acute Respiratory Acidosis is now assigned to code, J96.02, Acute Respiratory Failure with Hypercapnia, an MCC. >[?
| Documentation |
ICD-10-CM Code |
|
| Respiratory Acidosis |
E87.29, Other Acidosis |
CC |
| Acute Respiratory Acidosis |
J96.02, Acute Respiratory Failure with Hypercapnia |
MCC |
| Chronic Respiratory Acidosis |
J96.12, Chronic Respiratory Failure with Hypercapnia |
CC |
What Can I Do?
Familiarize yourself with the difference between Acute and Chronic Respiratory Acidosis. Knowing the symptoms will help with compiling a query if needed.
Respiratory Acidosis occurs when natural breathing does not remove carbon dioxide from the body. Carbon dioxide builds up in the blood and causes it to become acidotic. This could be acute or chronic.
Chronic Respiratory Acidosis: People will have excess carbon dioxide in their blood on a chronic basis, but the kidneys work to remove the acid to keep the acid-base balanced. The excess acid still affects the brain and still can cause less notable symptoms such as memory loss, sleep disturbance and anxiety. Treatment is directed towards the underlying cause such as COPD.
Acute Respiratory Acidosis – This type of Respiratory Acidosis is acute with sudden onset and requires immediate medical attention. The symptoms are more severe and can cause heart arrhythmias and hypotension. The patient may experience confusion, stupor, or muscle jerking. In addition to treating the underlying cause, the use of Bipap or mechanical ventilation may be immediately required.
References:
Merck Manual
Medical News Today
Brundage Group – Tip of the Month October 2022 - Acidosis
Article Author: Anita Meyers, RHIT, CCS
Anita Meyers, RHIT, CCS, is an Inpatient Coding Professional at Medical Management Plus. Anita has over twenty-six years of experience in inpatient and outpatient coding including 17 years of work at AQAF reviewing inpatient and outpatient records from Alabama hospitals. In addition to reviewing records she was the team leader in Beneficiary Services where she participated in case review activities, received and processed beneficiary complaints and handled fee-for-service denials for home health, hospice and skilled nursing facility services. Prior to joining the MMP team, Anita left AQAF to become an inpatient contract coder and worked at various hospitals in central Alabama. In her current position, Anita is an integral part of the Inpatient Services at Medical Management Plus.
