Coding Chronic Conditions
I have a question about coding Chronic conditions. I am getting mixed answers on this. If you look the following coding guideline from Third quarter Number 3 2007 it states
"If there is documentation in the medical record to indicate that the patient has COPD, it should be coded. Even if this condition is only in the history section with no contradictory information, the condition should be coded. Chronic conditions such as but not limited to, HTN, Parkinson's, COPD, and DM are chronic systemic disease that ordinarily should be coded even in the absence of documented intervention or further evaluation."
But when you look at the Official Guidelines for Coding and reporting states on page 114 "Chronic diseases treated on an ongoing basis may be coded and reported as many times as the patient receives treatment and care for the condition(s)"
In our facility we are instructed to code chronic conditions even if they are not currently being treated because they can affect the outcome of their current issue. I am wondering if other facilities are doing this as well.
Comments
Hello, I have a question regarding how to code a chronic condition - I have a patient who was Type 1 diabetic with complications- retinopathy and renal failure who received a pancreas and kidney transplant 2 years ago. He has had normal kidney function but had some rejection of pancreas causing a need for oral hypoglycemics and low dose daily insulin. How do I code for retinopathy and diabetes in this post transplant patient
Thank you