Cracking the Code
Coronary Artery Disease with Angina
- Published on
It is important for medical coders to understand how to accurately assign atherosclerosis coronary artery disease (CAD) with angina. If the provider’s documentation states a patient has CAD with angina, then it is NOT appropriate to capture a diagnosis for both conditions separately. Per coding guidelines, it is appropriate to report the combination diagnosis code for CAD with angina pectoris. So since the combination diagnosis code is reported, there is no need to report the separate diagnosis code for angina pectoris.
Q: A 50-year-old patient enters the ED with complaints of chest tightness and discomfort. The provider orders an ECG and x-ray. Results come back positive for coronary artery disease with angina pectoris. Final diagnosis: atherosclerosis coronary artery disease.
A: I25.119, atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery with unspecified angina pectoris
Reference: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2021 Section I.C.9.b.