The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued coding guidance to help track e-cigarette, or vaping, product use–associated lung injury (EVALI).
mauro grigollo/Thinkstock
The purpose of the coding guidelines “is to provide official diagnosis coding guidance for healthcare encounters related to the 2019 health care encounters and deaths related to” EVALI, CDC stated in a document detailing the coding update. The document was posted on the CDC website. The guidance is consistent with current clinical knowledge about e-cigarette, or vaping, related disorders.
CDC noted in the document that the guidance “is intended to be used in conjunction with current ICD-10-CM classification,” and the codes provided “are intended to provide e-cigarette, or vaping, product use coding guidance only.”
The codes are intended to track a number of areas related to EVALI, including lung-related complications, poisoning and toxicity, and substance use, abuse, and dependence.
The following conditions associated with EVALI are covered in the new coding guidance:
- Bronchitis and pneumonitis caused by chemicals, gases, and fumes.
- Bronchitis and pneumonitis caused by chemicals, gases, fumes, and vapors; includes chemical pneumonitis.
- Pneumonitis caused by inhalation of oils and essences; includes lipoid pneumonia.
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome.
- Pulmonary eosinophilia, not elsewhere classified.
- Acute interstitial pneumonitis.
The document notes that the coding guidance has been approved by the National Center for Health Statistics, the American Health Information Management Association, the American Hospital Association, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.