Stacey presents to the Emergency Room with severe abdominal cramping, nausea, and diarrhea, worsening over the last three hours. Stacey's 4-year-old daughter has stayed home from daycare the last two days with the stomach flu. Stacey also ate shellfish for dinner at a local seafood restaurant. After noting Stacey's signs and symptoms and performing a problem-focused examination, the ED physician was unable to make a definitive diagnosis regarding Stacey's stomach troubles. She did note, however, that Stacey's condition is "probable food poisoning." Based on outpatient coding guidelines, what diagnosis(es) may the ED coder assign for Stacey's encounter?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ED coder can assign codes for the symptoms (severe abdominal cramping, nausea, and diarrhea) since a definitive diagnosis of food poisoning was not made.

Stacey Presents to the Emergency Room with Severe Abdominal Cramping