Practice Management Alert
Don't Trip Over New Diabetes Code Descriptors
Question: What exactly are the 2005 changes to the diabetes code descriptors? Answer: The new fifth-digit descriptors for 250.xx (Diabetes mellitus) are:
Arizona Subscriber
With the intent of making fifth- digit selection easier for you, these new descriptors omit two main designations from past descriptors:
Omission #1: The Type I descriptors omit "[insulin dependent type] [IDDM]," and the Type II descriptors omit "[non-insulin dependent type][NIDDM]."
Reason: Previously, physicians used insulin and non-insulin designations to determine whether patients had Type I or Type II diabetes. You would then assign a fifth digit to the appropriate 250.xx code to indicate the patient's diabetes type. The problem was that physicians often assigned Type I diabetes to any patient who takes insulin, even though many Type II patients use insulin also. The deletion of the insulin designations in the code descriptors should alleviate a lot of confusion, experts say.
Omission #2: The Type II descriptors omit "[adult-onset type]."
Reason: The "adult" designation led some physicians to inaccurately assign Type II diabetes only to adults. However, you can no longer assign diabetes type based on age because more young people are developing Type II diabetes.
Coding change: Physicians should now separate the two types of diabetes and choose a fifth digit using the following guidelines:
Type I: The physician should assign 250.x1 or 250.x3 when the patient's pancreatic beta cells no longer produce insulin. Type I patients must use insulin.
Type II: Your provider should use 250.x0 or 250.x2 when the patient's pancreatic beta cells do not function properly and have insulin resistance. Also, Type II patients may use insulin, depending on the severity of their condition.
- The answers to the Reader Questions were provided and/or reviewed by Catherine Brink, CMM, CPC, president of HealthCare Resource Management Inc. in Spring Lake, N.J.
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Don't Trip Over New Diabetes Code Descriptors
Question: What exactly are the 2005 changes to the diabetes code descriptors?
Arizona Subscriber Answer: The [...]
