AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2013 Issue 3; Ask the Editor

Diabetes Mellitus Type 1.5

A patient was admitted with ketoacidosis, and the attending physician documented that he was unable to determine whether the patient had type 1 or type 1.5 diabetes. We have received advice that if the physician does not indicate whether the diabetes is type 1 or type 2, it should be classified to 250.00, Diabetes mellitus without mention of complication, type II or unspecified type, not stated as uncontrolled, for diabetes type 1.5. The endocrinologists at our facility believe that, lacking a specific diagnostic code for type 1.5, it is more appropriate to code type 1.5 as type 1, because the patient “clearly is not type 2, and the patient does not have an autoimmune component to their diabetes.” What is the appropriate code assignment for type 1.5 diabetes? ...

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