tci Part B Insider - 2005 Issue 14

SEPSIS CODING: Never use Sepsis As Primary Diagnosis, CMS Says

Be sure to follow up with docs about confusing terminology You shouldn't have to be confused about how to bill for sepsis any longer because the latest guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may make your life easier.  In its new ICD-9 coding guidance, issued last week, CMS explains that you can't ever list sepsis as a patient's primary diagnosis. If a patient shows signs of sepsis on admission and it meets the definition of a primary diagnosis, then you should first assign the underlying systemic infection code, such as 038.xx (Septicemia) or 112...

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