Reader Question: Don't Make Assumptions About Cancer History
Question: We saw a 36-year-old female patient who had successful treatment of cancer of the right bronchus several years ago. Do we report the cancer diagnosis?
Supercoder.com Subscriber
Answer: In the absence of any signs, symptoms or patient complaints, your most likely code will be Z85.118 (Personal history of other malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung) because the reason for this exam is not preventive. Instead, it is medically indicated as surveillance because the patient’s history of cancer makes her potentially at risk of recurring lung issues.
In the ICD-10 manual, prior to the listing of...
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