Pre-Diabetes ICD-9 Code

[Questions]

Question:


Can someone tell me the ICD-9 code for "pre-diabetes"?

Paul Kesselman, DPM
Woodside, NY


Answer:


5/1/11
Paul,

ICD-9 790.29 (nonspecific findings on examination of blood; abnormal glucose; pre-diabetes NOS) is the code for pre-diabetes.

Eric Lullove, DPM
Boca Raton, FL



5/4/11

Depending on what you know about the patient's blood sugar and insulin status, you've got a couple of choices.

If you know the patient has impaired fasting glucose levels, but hasn't yet been diagnosed with diabetes - ICD-9 790.21

If you know the patient failed a glucose tolerance test, but still hasn't been diagnosed with full blown diabetes - ICD-9 790.22

If you know the patient has evidence of other impairment of glucose metabolism (maybe a pattern of elevated random glucose levels), but hasn't been diagnosed with diabetes - ICD-9 790.29

If the patient has Syndrome X (insulin resistance without elevated blood sugars), use ICD-9 277.7. If you use ICD-9 277.7, you must also report the manifestation of Syndrome X the patient exhibits (for example, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc).

The ICD-9 manual tells you that "Prediabetes NOS" can be reported with ICD-9 790.29. However, since ICD-9 790.29 is defined as "Other abnormal glucose", just be sure that if you're using that code, you know that the patient actually has documented abnormal glucose levels.

Joan Gilhooly, CPC, CHCC
Lebanon, OH