icd 10 - Medical Coding Guide

ICD 10 Coding Guidelines for Diabetes and its Complications

August 27, 2023October 22, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

Diabetes has a lot of associated conditions. The combine ICD 10 codes of diabetes and associated condition has been a big confusion for medical coders. If you are a medical coder, then you would have understood what I mean to say. Several questions were raised by coders for clarification in coding these combined codes of diabetes with associated condition. The main question was that whether the coder should assume a causal relationship between diabetes and it associated condition, when both are documented by physician in the report. Finally, the updated…

Top ICD 10 coding tips for HIV

May 16, 2023December 15, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

Coding guidelines for HIV B20 reports human immunodeficiency virus diseases and includes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), which is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV affects certain white blood cells (T-4 lymphocytes) and destroys the ability of the cells to fight infections, making patients susceptible to a host of infectious diseases (e.g., Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia [PCP], Kaposi’s sarcoma, and lymphoma). AIDS-related complex (ARC) is an outdated term for lesser infections associated with HIV. Additional code(s) are reported to identify all the manifestations of AIDS. It is extremely important that…

Perfect Coding tips for “Code first” note with Manifestation codes

April 30, 2023October 18, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

ICD 10 coding guidelines has many different instructional notes which help us to follow general coding guidelines. For example, the Excludes 1 and Excludes 2 notes which are newly introduced in ICD 10, tells us whether to code these codes together or not. The same way, we have lot of codes in ICD 10 code book which should not be used as primary diagnosis. Manifestation codes are the ones which should not be reported as primary diagnosis. In ICD 10 coding guidelines, we have an instructional note “Code First” with…

Difference between Aftercare and Followup ICD 10 codes

April 11, 2023April 11, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

Being a Medical coder, we always face new challenges in coding ICD 10 codes. In ICD 9 diagnosis codes, we were not so much confused because of limited number of codes. For example, earlier we used to code only one code for pregnancy complication irrespective of first, second or third trimester, but ICD 10 we have specific ICD 10 codes for each trimester for same condition in ICD 9. Initially, we all have done coding errors in ICD 10, but we should learn from all these errors. Once you improve…

CPC Certification exam: Get Ready to Clear in 2023

April 11, 2023April 11, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

The requirement of medical coders is increasing day by day. If you are visiting AAPC website, you can check in their monthly newsletters, the number of CPC-A, CPC. COC, CIRCC etc. newly certified coders with their names. The number of certified coder increasing every month. Majority of coders are clearing CPC Certification exam. So, the demand for coders is growing in the market, may be because of the implementation of ICD 10 codes and due to pandemic of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Yes, due to pandemic the business has been affected badly and…

Coding tips for Z03, Z04 and Z05 ICD 10 category codes

March 11, 2023December 16, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

ICD 10 codes used for Encounter for observation and Evaluation Diagnosis codes are little tough to code when there is no specific condition given to code in medical report. Till now we have come across all the ICD 10 codes, which are used as either primary or secondary diagnosis. But, today we will learn to code for encounter of observation and evaluation. Before moving ahead I would suggest you get some knowledge about ICD 10 codes in the below links. Difference between Aftercare and follow-up ICD 10 codes Primary and Secondary…

GERD ICD-10 CM coding Guide for Coders

February 18, 2023May 10, 2023 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

Basics of GERD ICD-10 CM code Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease, which happens when a muscle at the end of the esophagus does not close. It occurs when the stomach content flows back into the food pipe(esophagus). This reverse flow causes reflux, that irritates the lining of your esophagus and hence causes GERD. Upper GI (gastrointestinal) procedures (74240-74250) are the common procedures performed in when the patient comes with symptoms of GERD diagnosis. GERD ICD 10 code, K21.9, is the most commonly coded primary diagnosis for…

Advance Coding guide for Selection of Primary Diagnosis

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

Diagnosis play a very important role in medical coding. The diagnosis codes should always fulfill the medical necessity for the procedure performed. Failed medical necessity can lead to denials. Also, the selection of principal diagnosis is very important topic in ICD coding. There are few specific coding guidelines for choosing the primary diagnosis. There are specific ICD 10 codes which must be used as primary diagnosis only. Hence, it is very important to know about the criteria for choosing the principal or first listed diagnosis. Before we move ahead let…

Amazing Coding Guide for Sequela encounter ICD 10 Codes

November 27, 2022November 28, 2022 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

In ICD 10, the injury codes are still creating lot of problems for medical coders. They are still not able to use and differentiate between the intial, subsequent and sequela ICD 10 codes. The use of 7th character for initial and subsequent encounter can be understood after coding some injury charts, but the use of Sequela ICD 10 codes are still a big confusion for coders. As per the definition of ICD-10-CM, the seventh character ‘S‘ is used for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of an…

Back pain ICD 10 Coding tips for Coders

May 30, 2022June 4, 2022 Jitendra M.Sc CPC

Basics of Back pain ICD 10 Coding. We already know that there is a big difference between ICD 9 and ICD 10 codes. Since the time I have started using ICD 10 codes, I have seen many challenges in diagnosis coding. For example, the concept of Excludes 1 and Excludes 2, the initial subsequent encounter and sequela codes for injuries. There are many new guidelines for coding ICD 10 codes. You will also get the new Status Z codes which have replaced the V codes of ICD 9. These are…