Bipolar 1 and 2 from the same visit, which one to code?!

[ch0c0chp]

Hey everyone,

My buddy's in a bit of a pickle with some coding. He's got a situation where both Bipolar 1 disorder and Bipolar 2 disorder conditions are present in the assessment from the same patient visit.

So, which condition should he actually code for in that scenario? He's trying to figure out if there's a rule of thumb or if one takes precedence. Any thoughts on this one?

 

[cleanclaimPr0]

That's tricky! Usually, code for what's most active during the visit. If both Bipolar I and II are mentioned, but it's not clear which is the main one, go with Bipolar I.

For example, use Bipolar I if the patient is in a full manic episode. Bipolar II is better if they're having hypomanic or depressive episodes without mania.

Does your friend have enough details on which episode is current? If not, ask the provider or a coding expert.

 

[sammywammy]

Hey everyone,

My buddy's in a bit of a pickle with some coding. He's got a situation where both Bipolar 1 disorder and Bipolar 2 disorder conditions are present in the assessment from the same patient visit.

So, which condition should he actually code for in that scenario? He's trying to figure out if there's a rule of thumb or if one takes precedence. Any thoughts on this one?

If both are listed but only one is active or driving treatment, code that one. Most of the time, Bipolar I takes priority if there's any mention of mania. This is what we're applying though. Let's take more opinions from here.

 

[ch0c0chp]

Hey everyone,

My buddy's in a bit of a pickle with some coding. He's got a situation where both Bipolar 1 disorder and Bipolar 2 disorder conditions are present in the assessment from the same patient visit.

So, which condition should he actually code for in that scenario? He's trying to figure out if there's a rule of thumb or if one takes precedence. Any thoughts on this one?

The key is the patient's history. Bipolar II requires the absence of any manic episodes. If the provider's documentation mentions a history of mania (not just hypomania), the correct and only code is Bipolar I