Chemotherapy Desensitization (2Q 2025 Coding Clinic)
When a patient is admitted for chemotherapy desensitization, assign code Z51.11, Encounter for antineoplastic chemotherapy, as the principal diagnosis.
Chemotherapy desensitization is the temporary induction of chemotherapy by administering slow increments of the drug in very small amounts that eventually progress to the full therapeutic dosage.
It can be used as a therapeutic strategy for patients with drug hypersensitivity when no comparable alternatives are available.
Chemotherapy that has been administered through desensitization protocols has been shown to be as effective as the same treatment given by regular infusion.
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