Malignant Mesothelioma ICD 9 Code…The General malignant mesothelioma code in ICD 9 is 163, a practice code that doctor’s issue to their patients.

What is mesothelioma?

Malignant Mesothelioma is an ASBESTOS CANCER a type of cancer that is very rare that affects the mesothelium tissues. The Mesothelium is the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs. Malignant Mesothelioma is very aggressive, affects the lung linings, the heart, the abdomen, as well as all the body’s major organs linings. It is a disease that is discovered when malignant cancer cells are found in the lining of either the pleura –Pleural mesothelioma-, the sac that lines the chest, or the abdomen, and it has not spread to the lymphatic system.

Many people are diagnosed with Mesothelioma every year, about three thousand new cases in the United States annually. Being exposed to asbestos in the workplace can affect the risk of malignant mesothelioma. So anyone who is experiencing asbestos exposure or symptoms that indicate they may have asbestos cancer should go see their doctor as soon as possible. The general prognosis for patients with mesothelioma are not encouraging that is why detecting the cancer early is so important… Do not wait to get your symptoms checked out. The average time that people survive once their case is diagnosed as malignant is 4 to 18 months. Mesothelioma presents very few early symptoms, making it harder to detect…these symptoms of malignant Mesothelioma may include shortness of breath, excessive sweating, fatigue, fever, cough, sudden weight loss (without trying) and many more. Mesothelioma should be taken extremely serious.

What Is The ICD CODE;

ICD CODE is a standard global diagnostic tool used by clinical professionals’ providing a system of diagnostic codes for classifying diseases, established for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes. Now a day the ICD CODE is known as The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the short-form of The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. This medical and a health care classification is a standard diagnostic coding system is used for many purpose for example to; monitor the incidence and prevalence of diseases, analysis of the general health situation and recording national mortality and morbidity statistics. In other words…The Mesothelioma ICD 9 code is a diagnostic coding system that doctors’ issue to their patients followed in many area of the United States.

The ICD is a certain international classification edition of diseases and were entrusted and published the 6th version by the World Health Organization (WHO) at its creation in 1948 and incorporated it for the first time. The ICD CODE allows any health condition to actually be listed and classified according to a code of up to six digits. These codes are part of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and this was to make it easier doctors or statisticians to make up a list in which diseases are classified and listed according to their causes as well as signs and symptoms and to analyze the health of population groups. The ICD CODE is currently in its tenth edition with an eleventh set on the way to be completed.

The codes were started originally as the first classification of the International List of diseases was for the International List of Causes of Death; this was in 1893 and was adopted by the International Statistical Institute. The W.H.O. took over the code sixth edition and series of editions were published since then. The purpose of a coding system that works internationally for diseases is that it can allow for population groups’ health to be analyzed, to record the incidence and prevalence of disease, storing as well as retrieving medical information easy and universal(no language translation needed), and compile statistics.

What Is The ICD 9 Code ;

The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) is a set of codes based on the World Health Organization’s Ninth Revision, International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). ICD-9-CM is the official system of assigning codes used by physicians, hospitals, and allied health workers to diagnoses and procedures associated with hospital utilization for all patient encounters in the United States. The ICD-9 was used The United States in 1979 to code and classify mortality data from death certificates until 1999, when use of ICD-10 for mortality coding started. Many countries moved to ICD-10 several years ago while the United States started to do transition on October 1, 2015.

What is the Mesothelioma ICD 9 code?

ICD-9 stands for International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision which is designated to patients and classifies the diagnosis as “Malignant Mesothelioma”. The Mesothelioma ICD 9 code is now the old part of The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems followed in many area of the United States. ICD code for mesothelioma is generally the same in each State with some minor adjustments. Mesothelioma icd-9 code was valid till October 1st 2015. The Old ICD 9 mesothelioma code is replaced and in fact more than several codes are added in Mesothelioma icd 10. The World Health Organization (WHO) released a fact sheet that the 11th revision process is underway and the final ICD-11 will be released in 2017, two years later than scheduled. The release of any new ICD code is to accommodate codes for new diseases and procedures; the switch from an ICD- to another means that health care providers and insurers will have to change out about thousands of codes.

The General malignant mesothelioma code in ICD 9 is 163, a practice code that doctor’s issue to their patients the classified diagnosis of the disease when they are relaying an official diagnosis or recording technical reports.

The list of ICD-9 codes is from 140–239: Malignant neoplasm of pleura (chest) is classified under ICD-0 code 163 and ICD-9 code 158 means that there is a malignant tumor located in the retroperitoneum and peritoneum (abdomen) while ICD-9 code (164) is Malignant neoplasm of thymus, heart, and mediastinum. Doctors refer to the ICD-9 coding when they are relaying an official diagnosis to patients or recording technical reports. Under this code practice all laws and regulations are classified, that concern mesothelioma. Mesothelioma ICD-9 code in ICD-10 has changed to alphanumeric code.

Why is the United States moving to ICD-10-CM?

Why does the US need to replace ICD-9-CM? ICD-9-CM has several problems and the current ICD code have proven to be inadequate and is no longer able to support current health information needs.

The ICD-9-CM code has been in use since 1979; it is no longer fits with the needs of the 21st century healthcare system, more purposes today than when it was originally developed.
Foremost, it is out of room, and cannot be expanded further of the code set than when the ICD-9-CM was originally developed and is no longer able to support current health information needs.
Because the classification is organized scientifically, each three-digit category can have only 10 subcategories. Most numbers in most categories have been assigned diagnoses.
Medical science with medical diagnosis and treatment continues making new discoveries, and there are no numbers to assign these diagnoses.

Technological advancements in Computer science and a universally compatible electronic health record system, combined with new, more detailed codes of ICD-10-CM, will allow for better analysis of disease patterns and treatment outcomes advancing medical care.
The ICD-10-CM code set offers more detail and specificity in capturing healthcare information. It is like a dictionary that has thousands of words, some words very commonly used while other words are never used. Many improvements have been made to coding in ICD-10-CM.

Getting diagnosed with malignant Mesothelioma can be scary because Mesothelioma presents very few early symptoms, making it harder to detect. If you are diagnosed with the Mesothelioma ICD 9 code due to the exposure to asbestos in the past, you are not alone nearly 2,000 to 3,000 people per year in the United States are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. While Mesothelioma has taken many lives, it is still treatable if being able to detect it early and ultimately those who are diagnosed with this condition can still maintain a quality of life. If you had exclusive to asbestos exposure and experiencing any of the symptoms of Mesothelioma go for diagnosis, talk to your doctor and go for a specialist.
References:
• American Academy of Professional Coders
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• ICD 9 Data
• World Health Organization