Wiki Ventilator Dependence, Other V Codes

[sandiwebb]

I am, this week, doing profee coding for hospital inpatients. A coworker tells me I should not be using the V code for ventilator dependence--that is only used for when they are spending the rest of their lives on a ventilator. I disagree--if the patient is having to be on a ventilator, even only temporarily, that's ventilator dependence. Fellow coders, please weigh in.

Further, same coder feels we should not be using V codes at all. Again, I feel otherwise. She says V codes "don't get paid." However, I feel V codes can definitely "shore up" a CPT code. Again, I would love to hear from fellow coders.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[mitchellde]

You are correct. V codes are to be used when the documentation fits the code. Vent dependence would be the code to use when you are checking up on the patient that is currently on the vent. The question is what other code would you use? If the payient is currently stable and no other issue other than the vent dependence is being monitored. V codes should be used for follow up encounters, and aftercare encounters, not the acute problem that no longer exists. The diagnosis belongs to the patient and we as coders cannot assign a code that the documentation cannot support at that encounter.