Jeanie Heck, BBA, CCS, CPC, CRC Education Consultant, e4health

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT coding) in ICD-10-CM requires careful attention to acuity, laterality, and vein specificity to ensure accurate code assignment. This edition of Start Smart walks through the decision making, common pitfalls, and misclassifications we see with deep vein thrombosis.

One of the most frequent errors in DVT coding is assigning an acute code when the condition should be coded as a "history of." This can lead to inaccurate reporting and potential reimbursement or compliance concerns. Avoid incorrect indexing by reviewing the provider's documentation closely rather than assuming "acute." It is worth noting that many patients with a history of DVT remain on long-term anticoagulant therapy, but the presence of anticoagulation alone does not support coding the condition as acute.

The double-sided tip sheet below covers these concepts as a quick desk reference.

Download the DVT coding tip sheet