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ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

ICD-9 Coding:

Ring in the New Year with a Refresher of Alcohol Related Diagnoses

Published on Thu Jan 20, 2011

Make sure you select the right diagnosis code when alcohol is a factor an ED visitThe New Year is upon us and with it comes an increase in alcohol-related presentations to the ED. Although many presenting problems are injuries or illnesses to which alcohol was a contributing factor, it may be worth reviewing the various alcohol-related diagnoses that are available and when to apply them in the ED setting. Take a look at some common patient types:1. Patients who are brought in because they are impairedIt is not uncommon for a highly intoxicated person to be brought to the ED by concerned friends, parents, or law enforcement officers because the patient appears to be unresponsive or dangerously intoxicated.First let's consider the patient, for whom no other diagnosis is possible, has come under medical care because of the maladaptive effect of a drug on which he is not dependent, and that [...]
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