Managing Medication Is Not the Primary Focus
Question: Is there a diagnosis code for medication management? For example, my provider sees patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) every few months who are on medications. The reason for the visit is for management of their medications and to confirm the child is doing OK with their daily activities like schoolwork, eating, and sleeping — and to renew the prescription if necessary. The practitioner only writes “medication management” for the reason for the visit, but I’m not sure that is correct. Florida Subscriber Answer: No, technically “medication management” is not a diagnosis. Instead, you need to code the condition that is being treated by the medication first. Because you mention the patients are normally being treated for ADHD, you will use that as your primary diagnosis as long as you are certain the medication being “managed” is related to that diagnosis. Then, you will add Z76.0 (Encounter for issue of repeat prescription) to the claim as the reason for the visit. In the example you mentioned above, you would choose from the following to code the ADHD/ADD diagnosis: Make note: Prescription management is also accounted for in the evaluation and management (E/M) level, as it is a part of the risk element of medical decision making (MDM). Lindsey Bush, BA, MA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
