Wiki Throat Cancer with difficulty swallowing

[jepcpc]

Would you code Dysphagia for a patient who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer? We are on the fence. The difficulty swallowing seems to be a symptom of the cancer.

How would you code this?

 

[Dhaneshmurali]

Throat cancer with chemotherapy

Hi,


No. Dysphagia is a symptom of the throat cancer. As per ICD-9-CM "Signs and symptoms associated with disease process should not be assigned".


In your documentation reason for visit is primarily for administration of chemotherapy means you should code V58.11 as primary diagnosis and 149.0 is secondary code.


Other then current administration of chemotherapy/radiotherapy and any other (drug/surgery) treatment given for throat cancer, we can't take V58.11 as a primary code. At that time we should code 149.0 is primary diagnosis code.

Regards,

Dhanesh M

 

[Tonyj]

Would you code Dysphagia for a patient who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer? We are on the fence. The difficulty swallowing seems to be a symptom of the cancer.

How would you code this?

I feel that would be dependent upon the circumstances. Whereas, dysphagia "may" be a symptom of the disease, the patient can have throat Ca on chemo with no symptoms. If the pt was experiencing dysphagia and admitted or came in for a problem visit due to dysphagia I would include the code.