Altered mental status, unspecified. 2016 2017 2018 2019 Billable/Specific Code. R41.82 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2018/2019 edition of ICD-10-CM R41.82 became effective on October 1, 2018.
Q: Can we code altered mental status as a manifestation and encephalopathy together? A: In answering the question, we must consider what is documented before or after the CDI effort. Before CDI Effort: If all that is documented is “altered mental status” and “encephalopathy,” I would assign the following two codes:
Diagnosis Index entries containing back-references to G92: Bromidism, bromism G92 Encephalitis (chronic) (hemorrhagic) (idiopathic) (nonepidemic) (spurious) (subacute) G04.90 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G04.90 Encephalopathy (acute) G93.40 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code G93.40 Jamaican neuropathy G92
altered level of consciousness ( ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code R40. R40 Somnolence, stupor and coma R40.0 Somnolence. R40.1 Stupor. R40.2 Coma R40.20 Unspecified coma. R40.21 Coma scale, eyes open R40.211 Coma scale, eyes open, never R40.2110 Coma scale, eyes open, never, unspecified tim...
Altered mental status describes impaired mental functioning ranging from confusion to coma and indicates an illness, either metabolic or structural in nature. Metabolic causes include hypothyroidism, hyperuremia, hypo/hyperglycemia, hypo/hypernatremia, and encephalopathy.
ICD-10 code G93. 41 for Metabolic encephalopathy is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Diseases of the nervous system .
The admission is five days long and the final diagnosis is encephalopathy due to polypharmacy with a metabolic component due to UTI. If toxic encephalopathy (encephalopathy due to drug) is sequenced as the principal diagnosis, metabolic encephalopathy as a secondary diagnosis will act as an MCC.
If you look for metabolic encephalopathy, it has the code G93. 41 with the subcategories of drug induced and toxic, both with G92 codes. On the other hand, it can also be looked at as yes, you can code both. Again, from the Official Guidelines, code G93.
Metabolic encephalopathy is a problem in the brain. It is caused by a chemical imbalance in the blood. The imbalance is caused by an illness or organs that are not working as well as they should. It is not caused by a head injury. When the imbalance affects the brain, it can lead to personality changes.
Classification of the Major Metabolic Encephalopathies. There are two major types of metabolic encephalopathies, namely those due to lack of glucose, oxygen or metabolic cofactors (which are usually vitamin-derived) and those due to peripheral organ dysfunction (Table 38-1).
Metabolic encephalopathy. This happens when another health condition, such as diabetes, liver disease, kidney failure, or heart failure, makes it hard for the brain to work. For example, if blood sugar gets too high in diabetes, it can lead to confusion and even a coma.
Acute toxic-metabolic encephalopathy (TME) is a condition of acute global cerebral dysfunction manifested by altered consciousness, behavior changes, and/or seizures in the absence of primary structural brain disease or direct central nervous system (CNS) infection.
Encephalopathy is not considered inherent in acute cerebrovascular accident/stroke and should be reported as an additional diagnosis when documented and supported. Encephalopathy due to sepsis/septic should be reported as metabolic (see ICD-10-CM Index)
According to 2020 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services definitions,2 toxic encephalopathy (G92), metabolic encephalopathy (G93. 41) and coma (R40) are designated as “major complication or comorbidity” (MCC), whereas unspecified encephalopathy (G93. 40) is designated as “complication or comorbidity” (CC).
Acute encephalopathy and delirium are clinically similar, but for coding purposes, very different. Delirium is a low-weighted symptom; encephalopathy is a serious, high-weighted medical condition. Delirium is usually due to an underlying encephalopathy, and clinicians should document as such if clinically present.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has described encephalopathy as a term for “any diffuse disease of the brain that alters brain function or structure” and says the “hallmark of encephalopathy is an altered mental status.” It then proceeds to list a hodge-podge of acute and chronic ...
A code from T36-T50 or a code from T51-T65 is not required and sequenced first, ...
Terms defined: “Encephalopathy” can be broadly defined as a global brain dysfunction (brain damage, brain malfunction or brain disease) manifested by an altered mental state that is not due to an underlying neurodegenerative state. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines “encephalopathy” as follows:
Code G92 Toxic Encephalopathy is a Major Complication and Comorbidity (MCC) code. MCC codes have the potential of affecting MS-DRG assignment and reimbursement. When MCCs are reported as a secondary diagnosis code, the facility may receive higher reimbursement from a payer than if the MCC code were not present. For this reason, the presence of an MCC code is often targeted and challenged by payers. This is not to imply that the payer’s challenge is meritless or their sole motivation is to reimburse the hospital less.
Coding “toxic metabolic encephalopathy” (TME) Because the term “encephalopathy” is very broad, it is normally preceded in documentation by various terms that describe the reason, cause, or special conditions of the patient that led to the brain malfunction.
If applicable, the query response should specify the drug or toxic agent that caused the TME, in which case a “T” code from T36-T50 or T51-T65 is reported first, followed by G92. If the query response is that the etiology of the TME was not a drug or toxic agent, no “T” code is reported and G92 only is reported for TME.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines “encephalopathy” as follows: “Encephalopathy is a term for any diffuse disease of the brain that alters brain function or structure.
Metabolic encephalopathy is never caused by a drug (codes T36-T50) or toxic agent (codes T51-T65). “Toxic metabolic encephalopathy” is a combination of toxic and metabolic factors, a result of infections, the presence of toxins, or organ failure. When the electrolytes, hormones, or other chemicals in the body are off their normal balance, ...