Follow Documentation for Croup Cases
Question: A pediatric patient presents for a barking cough, stridor, and fever. In the documentation, the provider listed croup as a diagnosis. Do I code the coughing, stridor, and fever symptoms or just the croup? Minnesota Subscriber Answer: You can search the ICD-10-CM book for croup, which will lead you to Croup, croupous (catarrhal)(infection)(inflammatory)(nondiphtheritic) J05.0, from which you can navigate to J05.0 (Acute obstructive laryngotracheitis). Croup can be diagnosed clinically without any laboratory tests, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and since the provider documented croup as the diagnosis and stridor as a symptom, you should select the diagnosis code J05.0. The provider listed stridor as a symptom, so there’s documentation that the acute laryngotracheitis is obstructive: The stridor may be evidence that the patient’s airway is obstructed or narrowed. If the provider documents that the croup is manifesting as the result of a specific virus, like influenza, report the diagnoses accordingly. Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, CPPM, Production Editor, AAPC
