tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 1999 Issue 6

Emergency ICD-9-CM: Coding Signs and Symptoms in the ED to Justify Diagnosis Tests, Services

Its a common diagnosis coding dilemma in EDs across the country: A patient comes in complaining of severe chest pain. It might be a heart attack, or it might be a bad case of indigestion. To the patient, the symptoms can be the same. To determine the final diagnosis, the physician must perform an extensive physical exam and order an array of tests to determine whether the patient has a cardiac-related illness. The extensive workup reveals only severe heartburnreported clinically as gastritis (i.e., 535.00, acute gastritis without mention of hemorrhage). But, should this diagnosis be the only...

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