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Wiki Renal - recovered function

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rkozell

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Greetings to all

In nephrology there is the not too often circumstance that an end stage renal patient recovers function. I cannot locate a code, even a status code, for this. Can anyone help with this?

Much appreciated,

Rebecca Kozell, CPC
 
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Hi Rebecca,

This sure sounds like the miracle many are seeking. I would think that if a patient is ESRD (585.6) and truly does recover some function, then the code would be upgraded from End Stage to Chronic Kidney Disease...Stage____ - this to be determined by the physician.

If a patient can truly recover complete function of the kidneys, then a code to consider would be V13.09 for history of a urinary system disorder. Of course, this is not a primary code but then again, I don't see 100% recovery (unfortunately).

As an aside, my mom has had 70% function of her kidneys for quite some time. When she recently saw a new nephrologist, it was determined that her kidney function had deteriorated to 29% of normal. A lengthy discussion with her doctor about recovery of function resulted in the comment that kidney failure patient's NEVER regain lost function. The key is to preserve what there is for as long as possible. When function reaches roughly 20% of normal, dialysis becomes the saving grace.

Hope this helps.

Joyce
 
Thank you Joyce for your response. This will be helpful to the MA who inquired and confirms my thoughts on this. Just stepping down to the CKD level really makes sense as the patient is "recovered" from a stage of CKD.

Thanks again! Rebecca
 
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