Diagnosis Coding Guidance for Hurricane Victims
- By Renee Dustman
- In Coding
- September 6, 2017
- No Comments
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released “ICD-10-CM Coding Advice for Healthcare Encounters in Hurricane Aftermath” as a guide when coding healthcare encounters for individuals injured by a hurricane.
The document reviews the use of external cause of morbidity codes, which “should be assigned to identify the cause of the injury(ies) incurred as a result of the hurricane,” the CDC advises. Sequence external cause of morbidity codes after, and never in lieu of, principal diagnosis codes.
Z codes (other reasons for healthcare encounters) also may be appropriate to further explain the reasons for healthcare services.
Download the CDC document for more information about external cause of morbidity codes. See the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting for complete coding guidance.
Renee Dustman
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