tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2004 Issue 9

Reader Question: Don't Let Patient's Age Drive Diabetes Diagnosis

Question: The surgeon recently saw a 16-year-old patient with underlying diabetes. We weren't sure whether to report the juvenile or adult diabetes code. At what age is the patient an adult instead of a juvenile? Oregon SubscriberAnswer: You should not determine the patient's diagnosis based solely on her age. To select the correct diabetes type (type I or type II diabetes mellitus, 250.xx), learn each type's definition and diagnosis requirements. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease that destroys the pancreas'beta cells and leads to insulin deficiency. Type II is familial hyperglycemia that occurs primarily in adults but...

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