Medical billing and coding student needs serious help!!!!!?

I am an online student and I am having difficulties finding codes in my ICD. 9. CM book. The codes I am being asked to code are very open. For example: Color change in fingers/toes; Dyspnea on exertion, Just a couple of examples. Anyone with some clues for how I can better utilize this book or maybe a website that may help. Anything I only have until sunday to figure this out. If any of you reading this happen to be a student of Anthem College Online in the medical billing and coding program and would be interested in possibly exchanging email concerning class let me know.

Medical billing and coding student needs serious help!!!!!?
The ICD9 CM is divided into two major sections, the alphabetic index of diseases and the numeric code (tabular list of diseases) section.





The best way to find a specific code is first search the index for the general condition. Hint: it is usually more useful to look up the condition rather than the body part affected when using the index. (e.g. heart palpitations, look up palpitations rather than heart)





After you think you found what you are looking for (or at least something close) in the index, look up the corresponding code in the numeric code section. (e.g. palpitations 785.1)





Occasionally, you may not find the exact term you are looking for in the index. It helps to have a medical dictionary and even a thesaurus around to find synonyms to search.





Frequently you will need to find additional "digits" to be more specific about the diagnosis. These are listed usually on the same page or page before they are needed.


example:


abdominal pain (look up pain, abdomen) 789.00 (nonspecific)


right upper quadrant (additional digits 1) 789.01





For your specific questions:





color change in finger/toes - this is a tough one because it is too vague medically speaking. Is it the nails or the skin of the finger or the joints of the finger or toes, and what color? blue (cyanosis), red (erythema), yellow (jaundice / cigarette stains?)... this is one you'd have to have your doctor specify what he / she means.


discoloration, nails (703.8) or


acrocyanosis (443.89) etc





dyspnea on exertion - this one is also a funny one because though it looks really specific, there really is no code exactly for it. This happens a lot with "symptom" diagnosis. In this case just find the one that fits the best.


dyspnea or short, breath (786.05)





Try not to use "nonspecific codes" if another more specific code works better. In the example above respiratory abnormality, unspecified (786.00) could have been used, but the more specific (but just as vague) shortness of breath (786.05) is a much better code.





Good luck!
Reply:Hi! I'm an Anthem college student also and the color change in finger and toes is the only one i don't have an answer to. Have you tried to contact the teacher? Maybe she could help.
Reply:http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category...





Look around in this site. Good Luck.................

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