Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: Should you ever sequence an external cause code as the principal diagnosis on a claim?

New Jersey Subscriber

Answer: No. You should never sequence an external cause code as the first-listed or principal diagnosis, according to the ICD-10 Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. Instead, you should use external cause codes as secondary codes to provide additional information. External cause codes can tell you the following helpful information:

• The cause, which explains how the injury or health condition happened.  
• The intent, whether the injury or health condition was unintentional or accidental or intentional.
• The place where the event occurred.
• The activity of the patient at the time of the event.
• The patient’s status.