Primary Care Coding Alert

Question: Is anyone using 268.9 in coding for screening tests for vitamin D deficiencies? Illinois Subscriber Answer: Since Vitamin D screening tests are ordered as part of a general screening test for nutritional disorders, instead of 268.9, you should use a V code: • V77.99 " Special screening for endocrine, nutritional, metabolic, and immunity disorders; other and unspecified endocrine, nutritional, metabolic, and immunity disorders. Physicians who order the tests usually already have a disease in mind which justifies the laboratory request. For example, if an FP uses 268.9 (Unspecified vitamin D deficiency), it is understood that there is already an established diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency which has no clear etiology or cause. Therefore, using this code simply for screening tests for vitamin D deficiency will not be appropriate. Other conditions which will require testing for vitamin D deficiency are diseases associated with aging, fat malabsorption, hyperpigmented skin, low sunlight [...]