Guidelines › Sign, symptom and unspecified codes
Sign, symptom and unspecified codes
Official text from the FY2027 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. The wording is quoted exactly.
Guidelines I.B.18
“Each healthcare encounter should be coded to the level of certainty known for that encounter.”
“Unspecified codes should be reported when they are the codes that most accurately reflect what is known about the patient's condition at the time of that particular encounter.”
Where this applies
This is a general rule. It applies to code assignment everywhere, not to one code or group of codes.
The Guidelines are the authority for assigning codes, and following them is required under HIPAA. This page quotes them for convenience and is not a substitute for the official document. See the Terms and Disclaimer.