Q: Is it okay to include a definition of “functional quadriplegia” when we query the physician for this condition? I was surprised when I approached a physician to discuss this diagnosis and he had not heard of it. However, when I gave him the definition, he agreed with it and...Read More »
Q:My question has to do with coding guidelines regarding secondary diagnosis followed by contrasting/comparative diagnoses. Let me explain a particular scenario. This was a two-day stay over the weekend. The patient was admitted for further evaluation with a history and...Read More »
Q: For some reason, I was under the impression that a query could be answered by any healthcare provider, even one just doing a review of the case (a fellow hospitalist, for instance). I know that a treatment provider is, of course, the way to go but was wondering about this as...Read More »
Q: Should we query for the specific pulmonary exacerbation of cystic fibrosis (CF)? Coding Clinic states that the exacerbation of CF should be listed first.
A: ICD-9-CM codes for CF (i.e., 277.00-277.03) are combination codes. ICD-9-CM code 277....Read More »
Q:A patient with a long history of Type I diabetes is admitted after a syncopal episode. Urine culture grows greater than 100,000 E. coli, and the physician documents a diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) treated with PO Bactrim. If the physician documents the...Read More »
