Wiki can you code Hepatits B as chronic from the PMH

[rsb2918@aol.com]

I am a risk adjustment coder and am presently auditing the chart reviews of one of our vendors. Hepatitis B is in the current diagnosis list and consistently being mentioned in the note so I have no problem with Hep B being coded as B19.10, they are stating that since Hepatitis B is also listed in the PMH that it is ok to code as Chronic Hepatitis B B18.1. I was always taught that you can not add words to the diagnosis that you can only code what is written. Any thoughts on this? B19.20 is not mapped to HCC but B18.1 is and I feel like this is up coding.

 

[racheljonestn@yahoo.com]

I was told the MD had to doc "Chronic" for us to code chronic. Below is the description from HCC coder. It really has to have a chronic designation or else it would be considered acute.

"Chronic hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver, lasting more than six months, caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), spread through contaminated blood, semen, or other bodily fluid. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can show up anywhere from two weeks to months after the initial infection. Symptoms include abdominal pain near the liver, dark urine, jaundice, and flu-like symptoms. HBV usually resolves on its own after a few months, but some patients develop chronic HBV, which can lead to complications like cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer, and liver failure. ICD-10-CM requires documenting whether or not the HBV is presenting with hepatitis D (Delta agent), which only causes symptoms in patients with a Hepatitis B infection and makes the symptoms worse."