ICD-10 Codes for the ZIKA Virus – Let Your EHR Assist You

The ZIKA virus is a flavivirus that causes flu like symptoms in patients. Spread by infected Aedes mosquitoes, the virus poses a big risk to pregnant women and their unborn babies. How would the condition be coded under ICD-10-CM? The most seemingly applicable ICD-10 code would be A92.8 “Other specified mosquito-borne viral fevers”— which includes “Zika (viral)” in its list of fevers . However, not all ZIKA infections result in elevations of body temperature. Besides fever, common ZIKA virus symptoms to code for include maculopapular rash, arthralgia (joint pain), conjunctivitis (pink eye), myalgia (muscular pain) and headache.

For pregnant women who have contracted the virus, 098 is the ICD-10 code for “all maternal infectious and parasitic diseases classifiable elsewhere but complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium.” Included in this code series is 098.5, “other viral diseases complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium,” with an additional character to specify the trimester. If the patient has contracted the Guillain-Barré syndrome as a result of the virus, then the ICD-10 diagnosis code would be G61.0.

Infected newborns may develop microcephaly, resulting in unusually small heads and other medical complications. Microcephaly would be coded as Q02, specifying a “congenital abnormality in which the cerebrum is underdeveloped, the fontanels close prematurely, and, as a result, the head is small.”More details about this code can be found in the ICD-10 monitor.

There is a code freeze for any new ICD-10 codes until October 2016 and it is unlikely that the CDC will update the code base for the Zika virus. Thus, while not perfect, the noted ICD-10 codes above are sufficient billable codes. The Practice Fusion EHR has a very intuitive interface to easily find and report on ICD-10 codes. You can sign up for free and see how you can be charting with new ICD-10 codes in minutes. Don’t worry about memorizing codes — natural language search and refinement filters will help you narrow in on the correct ICD-10 codes quickly.

Source: http://www.practicefusion.com/