# ICD-9 remission vs history codes



## ppoole (Sep 28, 2011)

Good morning all. 

I am new to this site and placed this question in the wrong category. I apologize.  

 Here is the question again:

Can anyone tell me if there is a timeframe when a 'remission' code would become a 'history of' code. An example would be alcohol abuse (305.03 - Nondependent alcohol abuse - in remission) vs (V11.3 Personal history of alcoholism). I cannot find anywhere in the guidelines that explain when to use these type of codes. If anyone could guide me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.


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## rhondatalley (Sep 28, 2011)

YOUR POST:  "Can anyone tell me if there is a timeframe when a 'remission' code would become a 'history of' code. An example would be alcohol abuse (305.03 - Nondependent alcohol abuse - in remission) vs (V11.3 Personal history of alcoholism). I cannot find anywhere in the guidelines that explain when to use these type of codes. If anyone could guide me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance. "

I look at physician documentation and if it is not clear, query.  In the example you gave, a person with nondependent alcohol abuse - in remission would not be considered an alcoholic.  Per ICD9 guidelines, the V11 codes would not usually be justified in an inpatient record and would be very limited in an outpatient setting.  

Also, for dx like malignancies, it is important to be very clear about whether the malignancy is truly history or currently treated as that information can have an impact on that patient in other scenarios like rating for health coverage.

I am not aware of any standard timeframe.  Therefore, if the physician has not clearly stated whether the condition is current or hx, query.


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## ppoole (Sep 29, 2011)

Thank you very much for your reply.


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## chaimz (Aug 28, 2014)

From my understanding, if current documentation states in remission, continue to use code 305.03.

Remission is defined as: a period of time during a serious illness when the patient's health improves.

If the doctor actually discussed the issue on the dos, and documented it, 305.03 is correct.  Only when the document states something like "stable", "controlled" etc is when personal Hx is appropriate.


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