Home Health ICD-9/ICD-10 Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Use 'History Of' Only When Pertinent

Question: How should I code for a patient with a history of MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C-diff)?


West Virginia Subscriber


Answer: You should use codes for personal history only when there is a chance for reoccurrence and therefore the patient requires continued monitoring. If that is true, then you could use V12.09 (Personal history of other infectious and parasitic diseases; other).

However, you should avoid using such nonspecific codes whenever possible because they do not add detail to the information on the plan of care.