A 94-year-old female patient is admitted with altered mental status and inability to move the left side of her body. She is diagnosed with a cerebral vascular accident with left sided weakness. The patient is ambidextrous, but the physician does not specify the predominance of the affected side.

A 94-year-old female patient is admitted with altered mental status and inability to move the left side of her body. She is diagnosed with a cerebral vascular accident with left sided weakness. The patient is ambidextrous, but the physician does not specify the predominance of the affected side.

The default code is
A . ambidextrous
B . non-dominant
C . preferred
D . dominant

View Answer

Answer: B

Explanation:

According to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, when the affected side is not documented for a condition that is commonly associated with hemiplegia or hemiparesis, such as a cerebral vascular accident, the default code is the non-dominant side. The non-dominant side is usually the left side for right-handed individuals and the right side for left-handed individuals. However, if the patient is ambidextrous, the default code is still the non-dominant side, unless the provider indicates otherwise. Therefore, in this case, the default code for cerebral vascular accident with left sided weakness is I63.532 Cerebral infarction due to unspecified occlusion or stenosis of left middle cerebral artery1.

References:

CDIP® Exam Content Outline (https://www.ahima.org/media/1z0x0x1a/cdip-exam-content-outline.pdf)

ICD-10 Code for Cerebral infarction due to unspecified occlusion or stenosis of left middle cerebral artery- I63.532- AAPC Coder1

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2022