Wiki Would the foster care diagnosis code (Z62.21) be considered a 'abnormal finding'

Would the foster care code be considered abnormal findings in a preventative visit?


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eawagner

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Hello I code and bill for a group of pediatricians and we see a fair amount of foster care children. A question came up asking if a well child visit with abnormal findings can substantiate "abnormal" within a visit if the child is from foster care. Previously I thought most codes in the R70-R94 code set were essentially used in concert with the Z00.121 but is that not necessarily the case here?
The argument is that that a child in foster care is in an abnormal situation and therefore has things going on in their life that causes abnormal situations and perhaps emotional/mental/physical stress.

Any thoughts? I don't want to say yes if this pairing will cause trouble.
 
being in fostercare is not an abnormal finding. An abnormal finding is something the patient is unaware of and presents asymptomatic yet the provider discovers something during the exam of the well patient. Foster care is not something the provider would discover in an exam.
 
I agree, foster care status in and of itself is not an abnormal finding, is it just part of the history. If the provider, during the course of evaluating the patient in well visit, documents identifying or diagnosing a health problem that is caused or exacerbated by the child's living situation, then that could qualify, but not simply the fact that the patient is in foster care. Think of it this way - a foster care situation can be a complicating factor, but by itself it is not a problem that could require treatment.
 
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