Use of Z51.5 - Encounter for Palliative Care
How does your facility use Z51.5 in the inpatient setting?
1) Is it used when a palliative care consult is completed, regardless of the patient's decision?
2) If a patient decides they no longer want treatment and prefer to be discharged home with hospice?
3) When a patient transitions to comfort care/end-of-life care?
Is there particular verbiage your facility/organization has identified that must be present in the record in order to capture Z51.5?
Any insight into how your organization uses Z51.5 in the inpatient setting is greatly appreciated!
Comments
I am too, curious how it is being used. This Coding Clinic supports a broader use of Comfort Care. Comfort care for serious illness, not terminal disease, correct reporting
ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic, Fourth Quarter ICD-10 2020 Page: 98 Effective with discharges: October 2, 2020
At this time we are only using if a patient is currently receiving Comfort Care. My thoughts are that patient's may not want to die in a hospital setting and are discharged home on Hospice. After a Palliative Care consult, a patient decides to go home on Hospice, I am advocating that the Z515 be coded in these circumstances. Just because a Palliative care consult was done, does not show the trajectory of care for the patient. We are still in talks at our organization and would welcome feedback.