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Gastroenterology Coding Alert

ICD-10 Update:

Let Complications Guide Your Ulcerative Colitis Coding

Published on Thu Apr 05, 2012

Look beyond location to arrive at the right codes.Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that you will commonly see in your gastroenterologist's practice, so you'll need to understand how to report it using ICD-10 codes when they come into effect. Paying attention to the presence or absence of complications associated with ulcerative colitis is your key to appropriately reporting the condition.Review the Notes for These Details You will need to know what symptoms might trigger your gastroenterologist to suspect a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. However, a final diagnosis can only be ascertained after suitable blood tests and observational findings during endoscopy.Symptoms of ulcerative colitis can include chronic diarrhea (R19.7, Diarrhea, unspecified), rectal bleeding, fecal urgency (R15.2, Fecal urgency), lower abdominal cramps (R10.9, Unspecified abdominal pain), blood in stool (K92.1, Melena), and weight loss.Your gastroenterologist may review tests such as complete blood counts, ESR, stool specimens, liver function [...]
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