Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: In a patient with advanced carcinoma undergoing chemotherapy, our physician documented a difficulty in feeding. Can we submit a diagnosis code for this condition?

Idaho Subscriber

Answer: For feeding difficulties in an adult, you can look to code R63.3 (Feeding difficulties). You may check with the clinical note or confirm with your provider if the feeding difficulties were caused by the underlying cancer or as an adverse effect of the chemotherapy. If the feeding difficulty occurred due to chemotherapy, you submit from the code category T88.7 (Unspecified adverse effect of drug or medicament) which requires a 7th digit to indicate the encounter.

• T88.7XXA, Unspecified adverse effect of drug or medicament, initial encounter
• T88.7XXD, Unspecified adverse effect of drug or medicament, subsequent encounter
• T88.7XXS, Unspecified adverse effect of drug or medicament, sequela

Note: For feeding difficulties in a child, you submit from code category P92.- (Feeding problems of newborn). However, if the child is above the age of 28 days, you will report the feeding difficulties with R63.3.