Jfraska
Contributor
I have a question on the history vs active coding.
I know that Leukemia has a remission status that you would report. A fellow coder in the office (we are pro-fee coders at a children's hospital) said that you would use the 'in remission' as long as they are within the 10 years of a possible relapse. Now, the physician may add the remission code but also note that there is no evidence of disease. So I am a bit confused on when the remission code turns into a history of leukemia. Assume the treatment has been over and the patient is following up after or even annually for survivor clinic.
I see my providers document that some cancers typically have a time frame in which relapses typically occur. They code a C code but these encounters, for example, are survivor clinics. I am right in changing them to Z history of codes since they are off any treatment?? Does it depend how long they have been off treatment (a few months vs a year)? Or does the phrase "no evidence of disease" and just being in a survivor program support a history of code?
Thanks, I hope I explained myself clearly
I know that Leukemia has a remission status that you would report. A fellow coder in the office (we are pro-fee coders at a children's hospital) said that you would use the 'in remission' as long as they are within the 10 years of a possible relapse. Now, the physician may add the remission code but also note that there is no evidence of disease. So I am a bit confused on when the remission code turns into a history of leukemia. Assume the treatment has been over and the patient is following up after or even annually for survivor clinic.
I see my providers document that some cancers typically have a time frame in which relapses typically occur. They code a C code but these encounters, for example, are survivor clinics. I am right in changing them to Z history of codes since they are off any treatment?? Does it depend how long they have been off treatment (a few months vs a year)? Or does the phrase "no evidence of disease" and just being in a survivor program support a history of code?
Thanks, I hope I explained myself clearly