Wiki Screening or Diagnostic

[ENDOCODER]

I have a patient that had his first colonoscopy today, 55 yrs. old. Patient was being treated for diverticulitis in April and finished his abx in May. Physician report states pt. here for screening colon. Shouldn't this be a diagnostic proc? Thx for your help

 

[thomas7331]

I don’t think a colonoscopy is normally done to check on diverticulitis after abx treatment. But in any case, if the medical record isn’t clear about the primary reason for the procedure, you would need to query the provider. Without viewing the full record, it’s not really possible to answer this question or advise you on the correct coding.

 

[Mhardy1964]

The physician should clearly state in the beginning of the operative note what the indication was for the procedure.