Atrial fibrillation ICD 10 code tips for coders

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of heart arrhythmia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, and other heart-related complications. Let us learn about ICD 10 code used for Atrial Fibrillation by medical coders as per ICD 10 coding guidelines.

ICD-10 code I48.91 for Unspecified atrial fibrillation is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range – Diseases of the circulatory system .

I48.91 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.

I48 – Atrial fibrillation and flutter
I48.0 – Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

• I48.1 – Persistent atrial fibrillation
  I48.11 – Longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation
  I48.19 – Other persistent atrial fibrillation
• I48.2 – Chronic atrial fibrillation
  I48.20 – Chronic atrial fibrillation, unspecified
  I48.21 – Permanent atrial fibrillation
• I48.9 – Unspecified atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter
  I48.91 – Unspecified atrial fibrillation

Signs and symptoms

According to the CDC, commonly reported symptoms of AF include:

• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)

Some people living with AF, however, experience no symptoms and are unaware of their condition until it’s discovered during a physical examination.

Treatment

The first avenue of treatment for AF is typically the prescription of antiarrhythmics (e.g., propafenone, sotalol) or anticoagulants (e.g., apixaban, edoxaban), according to Cleveland Clinic. Coders shouldn’t report a drug code for the prescription unless the medication is administered by a healthcare professional in an office or clinic. The work involved with ordering the prescription is included in the E/M code for the encounter.

ICD-10-CM coding

ICD-10-CM codes for AF are found in code category I48.- (AF and flutter). As part of the 2020 update to the ICD-10-CM code set, CMS added four new codes for AF, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. These include:

• I48.11, longstanding persistent AF
• I48.19, other persistent AF
• I48.20, chronic AF, unspecified

• I48.21, permanent AF