Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC)

What is the correct diagnosis code(s) for a patient seen with right lower quadrant abdominal pain, fever, and nausea?

1. K37 (unspecified appendicitis)

2. R10.31 (fever)

3. R10.31, R50.9 (RLQ Pain), R11.0 (Nausea)

4. R10.31, R50.9, R11.0, K37

The correct answer is: R10.31, R50.9 (RLQ Pain), R11.0 (Nausea)

The diagnosis code for a patient presenting with right lower quadrant abdominal pain, fever, and nausea is best captured with multiple codes to accurately reflect the patient's symptoms. The correct answer includes codes that specifically describe the patient's clinical presentation. In this scenario, R10.31 denotes the right lower quadrant pain, which is essential to document since it targets the specific area of discomfort. Additionally, R50.9 captures the symptom of fever, indicating that the patient is experiencing an elevated temperature, which can be a crucial sign of underlying infection or inflammation. R11.0 accounts for nausea, another significant symptom that must be documented to provide a comprehensive view of the patient’s condition. The combination of these codes provides a well-rounded representation of the patient’s symptoms and captures the complexity of their condition. In contrast, the other options either lack certain critical details or combine codes in a way that is less precise for this particular clinical scenario. Thus, the selected codes in the correct answer encapsulate the various aspects of the patient's presentation more effectively than any alternative selections.