Wiki U07.1 As a Secondary Dx

HPinkerton82

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Hello my name is Heather and I work for an Infectious Disease Providers. When Covid started we set a rule that U07.1 had to be in the primary position when treating the patient for Covid. As Covid has progressed and became an additional diagnosis not just a primary diagnosis, I am a little confused on how it is supposed to be billed.

EX: Patient comes in for Right Foot Swelling Suspected Osteomyelitis
During the Admission process they tested for COVID and are positive.
We are treating the patient for the Osteo but he has a Covid DX as well.

Are the guidelines that it still has to be primary even though that is not what we are treating him for or do we just leave the U07.1 off completely.

Thank you for your help
 
Per the ICD-10 guidelines, U07.1 is only sequenced first when it "meets the definition of principal diagnosis". By my understanding, it does not meet that definition in your example. If the patient was admitted for reasons unrelated to COVID it should not be the primary or first-listed code, but it would be appropriate and correct to use it as an additional code since it was documented as being addressed or affecting treatment at the same encounter.
 
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Per the ICD-10 guidelines, U07.1 is only sequenced first when it "meets the definition of principal diagnosis". By my understanding, it does not meet that definition in your example. If the patient was admitted for reasons unrelated to COVID it should not be the primary or first-listed code, but it would be appropriate and correct to use it as an additional code since it was documented as being addressed or affecting treatment at the same encounter.
This is what I thought. Thank you very much.
 
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