Secondary Diabetes Codes Require Specificity

Secondary diabetes—a new ICD-9-CM code category for 2009—refers to elevated blood sugar levels that result from another condition (e.g., pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or Cushing’s syndrome).

When a physician doesn’t clearly identify a patient’s specific type of diabetes, coders should query for more information, particularly for the cause of the diabetes, when known. This is important to achieve accurate clinical documentation as well as appropriate reimbursement.

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