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Question: A cardiologist documented that a patient has cognitive deficits after and due to a nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. How do I code this condition? Is there a single code I can report or do I need a primary and additional diagnosis code? 

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: According to ICD-10-CM guidelines, you should look to a code in category I69-. Specifically, check out I69.010 (Attention and concentration deficit following nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage).

You can feel confident in your choice by checking the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines. “Category I69- is used to indicate conditions classifiable to categories I60- (Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage) through I67- (Other cerebrovascular diseases) as the causes of sequela (neurologic deficits), themselves classified elsewhere,” the ICD-10-CM Guidelines say. “These ‘late effects’ include neurologic deficits that persist after initial onset of conditions classifiable to categories I60-I67.”

Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, Production Editor, AAPC