OASIS Alert

Hunting for V codes in the alphabetic index of your ICD-9 manual can be frustrating. They're tucked away under a wide variety of terms. To help shorten your search, Charlotte Lefert, RHIA, an independent health information management consultant based in Madison, WI, suggests keeping this handy list of main reference terms nearby.

In home care, you may list V codes as the primary (first listed) diagnosis, as is often the case for aftercare and rehabilitative therapy. You can also report V codes as additional diagnoses to identify the services your agency provides following an acute care episode or significant past health histories. The V Code Table in the ICD-9-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting provides guidance for listing these.