

How do they resolve the conundrum? Here are some suggested steps to resolve the “code, or not to code?” situations:įirst, review the ICD-10-CM or ICD-10-PCS Index/Tabular. So, would you code morbid obesity or not?Ĭoders are frequently faced with this question as they notice a new procedure or diagnosis. These classes are not currently referenced in the ICD-10-CM classification, and there is no official coding guidance regarding this topic. There are four levels of obesity, based on Body Mass Index (BMI), which are:

I did find some discussion about obesity classes on MedlinePlus. A search of that reference did not yield any results. After reviewing the Index of ICD-10-CM and the Tabular to ensure that there were not instructional notes, my next stop was to look up the topic in the American Hospital Association’s (AHA’s) Coding Clinic. I had to do a little research, as I did not know the answer immediately. The question was “can obesity class 3 be assigned the code for morbid obesity?” A Talk Ten Tuesdays listener recently sent me a question that encouraged a dialogue between us.
