Wiki Diabetes Type 2 with Circulatory Complications - PLEASE CHIME IN!!

[nesha2566]

This a general question. In a case were the Dr. documents "Diabetes Type 2 with other circulatory complications" and the patient actively has CAD (which is a circulatory system issue) as well, but the Dr. does not specifically say that the CAD is the diabetic complication. Is it ok to accept the code of "Diabetes Type 2 with other circulatory complications" or should it be down coded to just "Diabetes Type 2" since the Dr. didn't specifically state that the CAD was the complication?

A co-worker and I going over this issue. I stated that I would code it as "Diabetes Type 2 with other circulatory complications". He stated that he would down code it to "Diabetes Type 2" since the Dr. didn't specifically note that the CAD was the circulatory complication.

 

[ancoleman22]

I personally would code it to the diabetes with circulatory complications since the doctor specifically stated "Diabetes type 2 with circulatory complications".

With that being said, from my understand CAD isn't normally a complication of diabetes. With the new guidelines for diabetes and "with", I would not connect the two if the doctor states Diabetes and then CAD because there isn't a linked connection in the alphabetic index as there is with other conditions.

Unless the doctor would specifically state that CAD is a complication of diabetes, I would not link the two.

Just my way of thinking tho! Would love to hear others input!

 

[nesha2566]

Thanks you so much for your input! This topic started a discussion in our office and reviewing it with others shows us how some of us interpret things differently. It doesn't mean one person's wrong and the others right, it just shows we see things differently.