Due to the heightened need to uniquely identify COVID-19 patients, we recommend that providers consider developing facility-specific coding guidelines to hold back coding of inpatient admissions and outpatient encounters until the test results for COVID-19 testing are available. Please note that this advice is limited to cases related to COVID-19 and not the coding of other laboratory tests. As stated in the coding guidelines for COVID-19 infections that went into effect on April 1, code U07.1 may be assigned based on results of a positive test as well as when COVID-19 is documented by the provider. No, the provider does not need to explicitly link the test result to the respiratory condition, the positive test results can be coded as confirmed COVID-19 cases as long as the test result itself is part of the medical record. Does the supplement to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for coding encounters related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak apply to all patient encounter types, i.e., inpatient and outpatient, specifically in relation to the coding of “suspected”, “possible” or “probable” COVID-19? ()
Because code B97.29 is not exclusive to the SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, we are urging providers to consider developing facility-specific coding guidelines that limit the assignment of code B97.29 to confirmed COVID-19 cases and preclude the assignment of codes for any other coronaviruses. Please refer to the supplement to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for coding encounters related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak for additional information. Diagnosis code B34.2, Coronavirus infection, unspecified, would in generally not be appropriate for the COVID-19, because the cases have universally been respiratory in nature, so the site of infection would not be “unspecified.” Code B97.29, Other coronavirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere, has been designated as interim code to report confirmed cases of COVID-19.
0 kommentar(er)
