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Procedure Coding: Using the ICD-10-PCS

Lesson 3 Summary

  • Proper procedure coding involves using the ICD-10-PCS to choose the correct codes for procedures or services based on documentation in a patient’s medical record and assigning those codes correctly on claims
  • The first character of an ICD-10-PCS code specifies the section
  • Characters 2-7 mean the same thing within each section, but may mean different things in other sections
  • In all sections, the third character specifies the general type of procedure performed
  • The purpose of the Index is to locate the correct Table that has all information needed to build a procedure code
  • The Index specifies the first 3 or 4 values of the code
  • Based on the first 3 values of the code in the Index, you can find the corresponding Table
  • Within an ICD-10-PCS Table, codes include all combinations of choices in characters 4-7 included in the same row of the Table