Don’t Sugarcoat This Gummy Encounter
Question: A 14-year-old existing patient was brought into our office after their parent found them sleeping next to an open bag of cannabis gummies in their bedroom. The patient was groggy and slow to respond to questions, but after vitals were found to be normal, and the patient was educated on the dangers of the drug, they were sent home. What is the correct ICD-10-CM code for the ingestion of these gummies? AAPC Forum Participant Answer: Even though the patient was sent home shortly after their arrival, this would still be coded as T40.711A (Poisoning by cannabis, accidental (unintentional),initial encounter). Keep in mind that this code doesn't change based on the form of the cannabis edible, whether it the edible is gummies, cookies, chocolate, etcetera. Make note: Remember to add the appropriate 7th character to codes from this section to indicate to the payer which encounter this is. For example: A=initial encounter, D=subsequent encounter, or S=sequela. Lindsey Bush, BA, MA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
