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Pediatric Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Apply No Age Limit to Feeding Difficulties Code

Published on Tue Jul 19, 2005

Question: Until what age of infant can I report feeding difficulties with 783.3 ?


Kansas Subscriber
Answer: No age restriction exists for 783.3 (Feeding difficulties and mismanagement). The term "infant" is in parentheses under code 783.3. A parenthetical notation is a nonessential modifier to the code and does not affect code assignment.

In fact, ICD-9 also includes "elderly" in parentheses following 783.3's descriptor. Obviously, a patient can't be both elderly and an infant. The parentheses enclose information that is supplementary but doesn't affect the code assignment. Therefore, you can apply this code to any patient who has feeding problems. Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Victoria S. Jackson, administrator at Southern Orange County Pediatric Association in Lake Forest, Calif.; Maggie Mac, CMM, CPC, CMSCS, consulting manager at Pershing, Yoakley & Assoc., in Florida; and Charles A. Scott, MD, FAAP, pediatrician at Medford Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine PA in Medford, N.J.
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