Dermatology Coding Alert

Published on Sat Nov 20, 2004 PDF

Question: What would be the correct diagnosis code for three diabetic dermopathy bilateral shins?

Washington Subscriber

Answer: When you report codes for diabetic manifestations, you should remember that you must code for both the manifestation and the underlying cause (in this case, the diabetes mellitus).  Therefore, you should report code 709.3 (Degenerative skin disorder) as the manifestation, and then 250.7x (Diabetes with peripheral circulatory disorders) or 250.8x (Diabetes with other specified manifestations), depending on the nature of the diabetes. 

Don't forget the fifth digit to indicate onset and controlled/uncontrolled status.