Walt has metastatic lung cancer. He also has skin melanoma, which is the primary neoplasm. Today he is being seen for treatment and evaluation of his lung cancer. Which of the following is the correct way to code his diagnoses for today’s visit?
Explanation
Answer: C - 197.0 and 172.8 are the correct codes for today’s visit. ICD-9 coding guidelines state that if the patient is being seen for treatment directed at the secondary site, the secondary neoplasm is sequenced first, even though the primary neoplasm still exists. In this case, code 197.0 (Secondary Malignant Neoplasm of the Lung) is the correct code because the neoplasm is being treated and 172.8 (Malignant Melanoma of Skin, NEC,) is the correct code because of the primary neoplasm.
