DM with cellulitis query choice
I am looking for guidance on query choice verbiage and coding for linkage/cause-and-effect relationship between DM and Cellulitis based on the advice given by AHA CC 4th Q 2017 pages 100-101 Diabetes and cellulitis and OCGs Section I.A.15 "With". Our facility has a patient who was admitted with cellulitis and has DM; the choices given in the query and response was "DM with cellulitis". In hindsight, should the query option be "cellulitis due to diabetes" since cellulitis is not included under "with", or can "diabetes with cellulitis" be interpreted to mean "cellulitis due to diabetes" according to the "with" guideline?
CC 4th Q 2017 pages 100-101 states ""Diabetes with skin complication NEC," is indexed, but "diabetes with cellulitis" is not specifically indexed. The "with" guideline does not apply to "not elsewhere classified (NEC)" index entries that cover broad categories of conditions. Specific conditions must be linked by the terms "with," "due to" or "associated with". Coding professionals should not assume a causal relationship when the diabetic complication is "NEC." The ICD-10- CM classification presumes a cause-and-effect relationship with certain specific conditions when the Alphabetic Index links the conditions by the terms "with", "due to" or "associated with".
Thank you in advance for your response.