mitchellde
True Blue
If you are coding inpatient then no you are not allowed to code form the impression, if you are coding outpatient then yes you are ALLOWED to code from the radiology report and the path report, not required. The exception for outpatient is skin lesion excisions which you are required to wait for path, everything else you may code what is known at the time of coding or you may wait for for the report from path or radiology and code from that as they have been rendered by a physician. Lab reports no you must wait for the physician to interpret the result.