Ask the expert: Does a physician have to specify a seizure as petit mal or grand mal, or can the term "seizure" stand alone to count as a major complication/comorbidity (MCC)?
HIM Connection, January 29, 2008
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A: Assign seizures that the physician does not further clarify to code 780.39. This code is not a CC condition. The physician must specify petit mal or grand mal in order for the coder to assign codes 345.0x or 345.1x. Also, without the presence of intractable epilepsy, it is not a CC.
Editor's note: Shannon McCall, RHIA, CCS, CPC, director of coding and HIM for HCPro, Inc., in Chesterfield, VA, answered this question.
This Q&A was adapted from the January 2008 issue of Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies. For more information, visit www.hcpro.com/content/202988.cfm.
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