Include This Z Code When Reporting Prescription
Question: I work at a primary care provider’s office. A provider saw a patient who came in for a sore throat. The provider ordered a rapid test for strep and the patient tested positive. The provider diagnosed the patient with streptococcal pharyngitis and prescribed antibiotics. In the patient’s personal history, the documentation says the patient is allergic to penicillin. Do I include this allergy on the claim? South Carolina Subscriber Answer: Since penicillin or related drugs, like amoxicillin, are often prescribed to treat streptococcal infections, noting that a patient has an allergy to the medication helps present a more complete narrative of the patient’s health and can make sure that the treatment doesn’t endanger them. Remember, in this situation, coding the allergy first would be incorrect. First report the strep throat with J02.0 (Streptococcal pharyngitis), and then you can include the medication allergy by reporting Z88.0 (Allergy status to penicillin). Don’t forget, when coding pharyngitis, the ICD-10-CM guidelines instruct coders to use additional codes to reflect exposure to tobacco, if applicable. These codes are: Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, CPPM, Development Editor, AAPC
