2025 ICD-10-CM code L45
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Deletion Date: N/A Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue - Papulosquamous disorders Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99) Feed
Papulosquamous disorders in diseases classified elsewhere. Code first the underlying disease.
Modifiers might be applicable based on the circumstances of the encounter and the underlying disease. Consult the official coding guidelines and NCCI edits for specific modifier usage.
Medical necessity is established by the diagnosis of the underlying disease and the presence of the papulosquamous lesions that are a direct manifestation of that disease.Appropriate clinical examination and supporting laboratory results must establish the clinical correlation between the underlying condition and the secondary skin findings.Documentation of medical necessity must be clear and comprehensive.
The clinical responsibility lies with the physician or qualified healthcare professional who diagnoses and manages the underlying medical condition and its associated papulosquamous manifestation.Accurate documentation is critical for appropriate coding and reimbursement.
In simple words: This code is for skin problems with raised, scaly patches that happen because of another health issue.The doctor will code the main health problem first, then use this code to describe the skin problem.
L45 in the ICD-10-CM classification system represents papulosquamous disorders that are secondary to other, more significant underlying medical conditions.This code is used when the papulosquamous disorder is a manifestation of another disease and is not the primary reason for the patient's encounter.Proper coding requires identifying and coding the underlying disease first, followed by L45 to indicate the associated skin condition.The papulosquamous disorders included under this code encompass a range of skin conditions characterized by scaling and raised lesions.
Example 1: A patient with psoriasis (L40) presents with a secondary skin infection (L45). The physician codes the psoriasis first, followed by L45 to reflect the secondary infection., A patient with lupus (M32) presents with a cutaneous manifestation of the disease, involving papulosquamous lesions (L45).L45 is added as a secondary code, after the primary code for lupus., A patient with an underlying condition that causes a secondary generalized exfoliative dermatitis (L45). The underlying condition needs to be the primary diagnosis, and L45 should be used to indicate the skin involvement.
Complete and detailed clinical documentation is essential.The documentation must clearly identify the underlying disease and specifically mention the presence of papulosquamous lesions.The physician's assessment should differentiate the primary condition from the secondary skin condition and the severity of each.
** Always ensure that the underlying disease is properly identified and coded first.L45 should only be used as a secondary code to describe the papulosquamous manifestations.Consult current coding manuals and guidelines for the most up-to-date information and any revisions to coding conventions.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Not applicable.This is a diagnosis code, not a procedure code, so a technical component modifier (TC) does not apply.
- Specialties:Dermatology, Rheumatology, Internal Medicine, and other relevant specialties depending on the underlying disease.
- Place of Service:Office, Outpatient Hospital, Inpatient Hospital