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Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Occult Blood Versus Blood in the Stool

Published on Sat Jan 01, 2005

Question: What is the difference between occult blood and blood in the stool, and how should I code each?

New York Subscriber Answer: Occult blood means the blood is hidden to the eye. When a hemoccult test comes back positive for this hidden blood, you should use 792.1 (Nonspecific abnormal findings in stool contents).
 
Blood in the stool is visible blood that may appear as either bright red streaks or tarry black stools. You should use 578.1 (Blood in stool) for this condition.
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