21 (Severe sepsis with septic shock), J96. 00 (Acute respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia) and N39.
ICD-10 code R65. 21 for Severe sepsis with septic shock is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified .
ICD-10 code A41. 9 for Sepsis, unspecified organism is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Certain infectious and parasitic diseases .
00 for Acute respiratory failure, unspecified whether with hypoxia or hypercapnia is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Diseases of the respiratory system .
Coding tips: According to the guidelines, for all cases of documented septic shock, the code for the underlying systemic infection (i.e., sepsis) should be sequenced first, followed by code R65. 21 or T81.
ANSWER: Sepsis is a serious complication of an infection. It often triggers various symptoms, including high fever, elevated heart rate and fast breathing. If sepsis goes unchecked, it can progress to septic shock — a severe condition that occurs when the body's blood pressure falls and organs shut down.
4-, a post-procedural wound infection and post-procedural sepsis were assigned to the same ICD-10-CM code T81. 4-, Infection following a procedure with a code for the infection (sepsis, cellulitis, etc.)
Sepsis as Principal Diagnosis Is sepsis always sequenced as the principal diagnosis when it is present on admission? Some may say yes, because after all, that's what is stated in the official coding guidelines. However, my answer to this question is no, not always.
9: Fever, unspecified.
Assign code U07. 1, COVID-19, as the principal diagnosis, and code J96. 01 Acute respiratory failure with hypoxia, as a secondary diagnosis.
Currently, the direction states that either the acute respiratory failure or the established etiology can be sequenced first; however, we must take the circumstances of the encounter into account. Many cite the coding convention related to etiology/manifestation as dictating that the etiology must be sequenced first.
Acute respiratory failure occurs when fluid builds up in the air sacs in your lungs. When that happens, your lungs can't release oxygen into your blood. In turn, your organs can't get enough oxygen-rich blood to function.
Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to group a streptococcus. Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to group b streptococcus. Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to meningococcal septicemia.
The 2021 edition of ICD-10-CM R65.21 became effective on October 1, 2020.
Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction. Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to anaerobic septicemia. Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to chromobacterium. Septic shock with acute organ dysfunction due to coagulate-negative staphylococcu.
Sepsis means potentially fatal condition caused when the body responses to the presence of infection or organisms in the blood. Choose the appropriate “A” code from the alphabetical index to indicate sepsis with type of infection or causal organism, if the doctor documents “Sepsis with type of infection or causal organism”.
Severe sepsis with septic shock: Septic shock means severe sepsis associated with circulatory failure. Assign the code in the same above format (severe sepsis) as it represents the type of acute organ dysfunction. But here, we will report a code R65.21 (which indicates severe sepsis with septic shock) instead of R65.20 (severe sepsis).
If the doctor documents “Sepsis” but the type of infection or causal organism is not specified, then will assign the A41.9 code, which indicates Sepsis, unspecified organism.
OFFICIAL CODING GUIDELINE Acute or acute on chronic respiratory failure may be reported as principal diagnosis when it is the condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission of the patient to the hospital for care. Refer to Section II of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting on “Selection of Principal Diagnosis”.
Look for documented signs / symptoms of: SOB (shortness of breath) Delirium and/or anxiety. Syncope. Use of accessory muscles / poor air movement.
If the documentation is not clear as to whether Acute Respiratory Failure and another condition are equally responsible for occasioning the admission, query the provider for clarification.
With any record, keep in mind that because a condition may be present on admission does not necessarily mean it qualifies for principal diagnosis. You have to ask yourself these questions:
Very seldom is it a simple cut and dry diagnosis. There always seems to be just enough gray to give coders on any given day some doubt. It’s not only important for a coder to be familiar with the guidelines associated with respiratory failure but they should also be aware of the basic clinical indicators as well.
ICD 10 features multiple codes for renal failure as compared to ICD 9. The order of listing in ICD 10 is as follows: N00-N99 Diseases of the genitourinary system › N17-N19 Acute kidney failure and chronic kidney disease. It is important to note that ICD 10 distinguishes between acute renal insufficiency and acute kidney injury/acute renal failure. There are additional codes to specify traumatic and non-traumatic kidney injury. Acute kidney disease and acute renal insufficiency cannot be reported as acute renal failure.
Clotting in the blood vessels within the kidney due to conditions like idiopathic thrombocytopenic thrombotic purpura (ITTP), malignant hypertension, hemolytic uremic syndrome, transfusion reaction, and scleroderma can also lead to acute renal failure.
Causes of CKD. The leading cause of CKD is diabetes. However, there are a number of factors that can lead to acute renal failure. Reduced blood flow to your kidneys due to conditions like low blood pressure, dehydration, burns, injury, hemorrhage, serious illness, septic shock and surgery can cause damage leading to acute renal failure.
The loss of the filtering ability of your kidney, leads to accumulation of waste material and electrolytes in your body, eventually leading to acute renal failure which can be life threatening. However, proper and timely treatment can reverse the damage and help you recover from the problem.
If the sepsis is severe and additional code R65.2 code and any applicable codes for acute organ dysfunction should be assigned.
Coding this scenario requires 5 codes. The acute enterococcal pyelonephritis is coded first because it was the reason for admission. This diagnosis needs two codes, a code for the acute pyelonephritis and a code that identifies the causative organism. Because the severe sepsis developed after admission the sepsis codes are sequenced following the codes for the localized infection. This diagnosis requires 3 codes, a code for the systemic infection, a code for severe sepsis without septic shock and a code for the acute organ dysfunction.
In this case the 5th character for the code from subcategory R65.2 will be a “1 ”, indicating severe sepsis with septic shock. If other acute organ dysfunction is present, additional codes should be assigned for those conditions.
A41.51; Sepsis due to Eschericia Coli is assigned because this is the code the index references for the systemic infection of E.Coli sepsis.
Although the sepsis is not specified as severe a code from subcategory R65.2; Severe Sepsis is appropriate as indicated by guideline I.C.1.d.1.a.iii which directs the coder to follow the guidelines for the coding of severe sepsis when coding a diagnosis of sepsis with acute organ dysfunction. The correct 5th character for this code is “0” because septic shock was not documented.
Coding a diagnosis of sepsis can be a tricky proposition. There are several guidelines to consider and documentation must be reviewed carefully. Below is an overview of some of the guidelines with examples of guideline application.
Note that the codes from subcategory R65.2 can never be assigned alone and can never be sequenced as principal. They will always be assigned in conjunction with and sequenced after the code for the systemic infection.