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Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

569.3 or 578.1? Check Origins of Blood

Published on Wed Mar 09, 2011

Question: I'm not sure when I should use 569.3 and 578.1 for bloody stool. Are they one and the same?Nevada SubscriberAnswer: No. Documentation should indicate the source of the bleeding to allow you to choose the appropriate ICD-9 code.Blood in the stool usually originates from somewhere in the upper areas of the gastrointestinal tract. In this case, you would use 578.1 (Blood in stool). On the other hand, traces of bright red blood on the outside of the stool or on the toilet tissue usually occur from a source within the rectum or anus (569.3, Hemorrhage of rectum and anus).
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