tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2008 Issue 5

Reader Questions: Look at Percentages to Decide on Morbid Obesity

Question: What distinguishes "obesity" from "morbid obesity"? North Carolina SubscriberAnswer: ICD-9 defines morbid obesity as "increased weight beyond limits of skeletal and physical requirements (125 percent or more over ideal body weight), as a result of excess fat in subcutaneous connective tissues." If the patient meets the definition of severe or morbid obesity, you should assign 278.01 (Morbid obesity). When patients do not meet the definition for morbid obesity, you should instead list 278.00 (Obesity, unspecified).Exception: When the patient's increased weight is due to a medical condition, such as adiposogenital dystrophy (253.8) or obesity...

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