E/M Coding Alert - 2017 Issue 5
Reader Question: Don't Miss Code For Infectious Agent
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Article Overview
This Q&A article addresses a new-patient office encounter involving suspected infected sores and laboratory evaluation from a wound site. It focuses on general evaluation-and-management coding and on diagnosis coding that links a skin abscess with a documented bacterial infectious agent. The piece is intended for coders who work with outpatient E/M services and ICD-10-CM diagnosis selection.
Why This Topic Matters
Articles like this help coders recognize when a single diagnosis is not enough and when an additional diagnosis code for a documented infectious organism may be needed. It is relevant for accurate outpatient claim reporting and for reducing missed secondary diagnoses in infection-related encounters.
What You Will Learn
- How the encounter type affects evaluation-and-management code selection
- How to think about diagnosis coding when a skin infection is documented
- How to identify when an infectious-organism diagnosis category is relevant
- How outpatient documentation supports primary and secondary diagnosis reporting
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Coding auditors
- Billing staff
- Compliance staff
- Outpatient practice managers
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
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