Coding Long COVID

Per the CDC: Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as post-COVID conditions (PCC) or long COVID…People call post-COVID conditions by many names, including: Long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of COVID, and chronic COVID. In July 2021, “long COVID,” also known as post-COVID conditions, was added as a recognized condition that could result in a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

How to define? We are given conflicting criteria:

World Health Organization (WHO):
Long COVID-19 starts three months after the original bout of illness or positive test results.1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Long COVID-19 — or post-COVID-19 conditions — is a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems people may experience more than four weeks after being first infected with SARS-CoV-2.2

Since Oct 1, 2021, ICD 10 has provided a code for long Covid: Post COVID-19 condition, unspecified (U09.9) Providers should list U09.9 secondary to specific codes for ongoing conditions after a COVID-19 infection, according to new tabular instructions for the code.

Code First: the specific condition related to COVID-19 if known, such as:

chronic respiratory failure (J96.1-)

loss of smell (R43.8)

loss of taste (R43.8)

multisystem inflammatory syndrome (M35.81)

pulmonary embolism (I26.-)

pulmonary fibrosis (J84.10)