# Diabetic ketoacidosis



## goodcoder (Sep 19, 2008)

Hi everybody please clarify what ICD should we code for diabetic ketoacidosis , shall we go for 250.10 or 250.13

Hari krishnan


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## dmaec (Sep 19, 2008)

going by ONLY the options you gave, I'd go with 250.10. (you didn't say it was type I, uncontrolled - so not 250.13) 
you could query the provider for more specific info, what type of DM, is it uncontrolled....
but, if that's all they gave you is diabetic ketoacidosis - I'd use the 250.10
_{that's my opinion on the posted matter}_


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## FTessaBartels (Sep 19, 2008)

*250.10*

Unless the type of diabetes and whether controlled or not is specified in the documentation you have no option but to use the 5th digit "0" for unspecified type.

Note that physician may have specified Type I uncontrolled in body of the dictation ... and *IF* that was so, I'd then use 250.13. 

F Tessa Bartels, CPC, CPC-E/M


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## renifejn (Sep 19, 2008)

I agree and also use 250.10, but our 3M system takes you to 250.13 even with unspecified!!


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## dmaec (Sep 19, 2008)

3M is awesome!  I miss it - but, it doesn't always lead down the correct path..  I wonder if someday they'll fix that issue.


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## junebug1969 (Sep 30, 2008)

Coding conventions tell you that by definition ketoacidosis is considered for coding purposes to be "uncontrolled". Just the presence of ketoacidosis (sans any other documentation) informs the coder to assign either 2 or 3 as the 5th digit. (I actually coded this using 3M the last week and it listed the actual coding convention... otherwise I would have coded it as 250.10 as well!)

The only question is whether it is type 1 or 2 Diabetes.


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## dmaec (Sep 30, 2008)

wow...junebug1969 - I didn't know that!  Good to know   and thanks for posting it.  I would have continued to code the 250.10 (in a scenario such as first posted)
could you please post the coding convention from 3M?  (and I'll be doing some follow up too)

as for 1 or 2 - unless it's stated as type 1 -, you code type 2.... 

thanks


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