Revenue Cycle Insider

Cardiology Coding:

Dial Into Heart Failure Codes

Question: If coding heart failure and the provider states that the patient has systolic heart failure with exacerbation, would the correct code be I50.21 (Acute systolic (congestive) heart failure)? Does exacerbation equal acute? Virginia Subscriber Answer: Not necessarily. Exacerbation just means a flare-up; something is making the heart failure worse. “Acute systolic heart failure” means: “This patient’s heart was fine [...]
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