Software and Services for Home Health, Hospice and Healthcare Facilities

Complication or Late-Effect?

Jennifer Warfield, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, Educational Director
General coding guidelines state that once the acute phase of an illness or injury is over, the acute code cannot be coded in homecare. Once the acute phase is over, the patient may be left with deficits, residuals, or complications. How you code these will depend on whether the problem is considered a late-effect or a complication. Residuals are called late-effects and can be coded indefinitely. These late-effects are seen most often in patients after a CVA or TIA but can also be noted in patients after burns, fractures, or head and spinal injuries. General guidelines for late-effects state that there are no time restrictions for using a late-effect code. Complications have no time limits either, but can often be reversed with treatment. In this session we will discuss how to identify and code late-effects and complications.

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