ICD 10 Coding Alert
New Kidney Disease Codes Must Depend Upon Provider Documentation
Question: I’m confused by the new ICD-10 codes N18.31 and N18.32. I don’t see anything in the guidelines or in the instructions about how to use the N18 codes. What do I need to know? Pennsylvania Subscriber Answer: ICD-10 2021 introduced the following new N18.- (Chronic kidney disease (CKD)) codes: ICD-10 guideline 1.C.14.a tells you to use these codes in documenting stage 3, or moderate, CKD. You would use N18.31 when a patient’s estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) are between 45 and 59 mL/minute, while you would assign N18.32 to a patient with eGFRs between 30 and 44 mL/ minute. However, as a coder, you cannot assign either code based on a patient’s eGFRs; code assignment can only come from a provider’s documentation. And, per another part of the guideline, you would not assign any of these codes “if both a stage of CKD and ESRD [end-stage renal disease] are documented.” Instead, you would only assign code N18.6 (End stage renal disease), but again only if your provider has documented it.
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New Kidney Disease Codes Must Depend Upon Provider Documentation
Question: I’m confused by the new ICD-10 codes N18.31 and N18.32. I don’t see anything [...]
