Home Health ICD-9/ICD-10 Alert

Question: Is it true that osteomyelitis and gangrene are the only two conditions you can assume are manifestations of the diabetes? Or are there other conditions it's safe to assume are caused by diabetes? What sort of documentation must I have to indicate that a co-morbidity is a manifestation of diabetes?

Answer: If a patient with diabetes has gangrene, you may assume that it is diabetic gangrene absent another reason for the gangrene documented by the physician. If a patient with diabetes has osteomyelitis, you may assume that it is diabetic osteomyelitis unless there is another reason for the osteomyelitis documented by the physician. All other possible manifestations of diabetes have to be documented by the physician or assessed using the OASIS strategies.