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Liver Cancer ICD 10 Code
Refresher: What are ICD-10 codes?
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is an effective healthcare coding system used throughout the country. The ICD-10 is the 10th revision of the coding system. It started in 1983, was endorsed by the 43rd World Health Assembly in 1990, and was implemented in 1994 [1].
The ICD-10 coding system is published by the World Health Organization (WHO) after utilizing numerous studies for the purpose of identification of health issues and diseases [2]. While changes and modifications can be made in this coding system, they must follow the WHO conventions.
Using the ICD-10 code enables healthcare providers and physicians to attain relevant diagnostic information while also gathering data for morbidity and mortality statistics. Every entity under HIPAA is obliged by the US Department of Health and Human Sciences to follow the ICD-10 codes.
The ICD-10 coding system and the ICD-10-CM system used similar diagnostic sets, and the only difference is that ICD-10 is used for inpatient hospital settings while ICD-10-CM is used for all settings in the healthcare environment. The ICD-10 system has over 68,000 codes compared to its earlier version, ICD-9, which had around 13,000 codes.
With higher specificity, payers and providers can utilize this coding system to monitor information related to the conditions of the patients and the number and types of treatments received by the patient. They can access and examine the codes for:
- Measuring the efficacy and safety of the patient care
- Determining the risk factors and health status of populations
- Enhancing and assessing the performances of the providers
- Monitoring costs of healthcare
- Investigating and preventing billing and coding abuses
ICD-10 codes reveal more accurate information about patients to ensure better care outcomes. This includes multiple types of cancers. However, the terms neoplasm and cancer must not be used interchangeably as they are different since neoplasms may either be noncancerous or cancerous.
Therefore, ICD-10 codes for secondary malignant neoplasms (metastatic cancer) and malignant neoplasms (primary cancers) are different. The ICD-10 coding system considers the origin of cancer to assist with the diagnostics and treatment of the patient.
Healthcare providers must be trained to use the coding system to ensure the accurate and right usage of ICD-10 codes.
What is the ICD-10 code for Liver Cancer?
The ICD-10 code for primary liver cancer is C22.00 [3], and the ICD-10 code for secondary liver cancer is C78.7 [4].
Primary Liver Cancer ICD 10 code: C22.00
Primary Liver Cancer ICD code C22.00 lookup
Primary liver cancer initiates in the liver. There are various types of primary liver cancers, including hepatoma or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Some of the most common symptoms of primary liver cancer include:
- Abdominal swelling
- Always feeling fatigued and weak
- Discoloration of skin
- Upper abdominal pain
- Vomiting and nausea
- Weight loss
- White stool
Below is a table of the liver cancer ICD-10 code for primary liver cancer:
Types of Liver Cancer coded under C22.00
The types of liver cancer included in C22.00 include liver cell carcinoma, hepatoblastoma, angiosarcoma of the liver, and malignant neoplasm of the liver, among others.
Liver cancer cancers excluded from ICD-10 C22.00
The type of lung cancers that are not included in the C22.00 code are as follows [3]:
- Malignant neoplasm of biliary tract
- Secondary malignant neoplasm of intrahepatic bile duct and liver
Secondary and metastatic Liver Cancer ICD 10 code: C78.7
Secondary or metastatic Liver Cancer ICD-10 code C78.7 lookup
Secondary liver cancer occurs when the liver cancer spreads to a different area of the body. It is described as a "Secondary malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile duct [4]." If there are small tumors, then there might not be any symptoms.
However, as the secondary liver cancer spreads or grows, the following symptoms might be experienced:
- Dark urine
- Extreme fatigue
- High fever
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Pale stole
- Right shoulder blade pain
- Skin itchiness
- Swollen abdomen
- Upper abdominal pain, particularly on the right side
- Weight loss
- Yellowing of eyes and skin
Conclusion
It is essential to understand that all cancers are not the same and require an accurate diagnosis by the doctor with the assistance of the ICD-10 codes. The liver cancer ICD-10 codes involve multiple factors, including position, type, and severity of the cancer, and the unspecified and overlapping sites.
Primary liver cancer comes under the ICD-10 code C22.00, and secondary liver cancer comes under C78.7. Getting an accurate diagnosis must take into consideration the ICD-10 codes, cancer origin, pathophysiology of cancer, and the condition of the patient.