Coding -
Practice Guidelines and Tips -
2023
Documentation and Coding: Severe Sepsis
This tip sheet will offer guidance on how to submit a diagnosis code with greater specificity for coding Severe Sepsis. Two codes, at a minimum, are needed to report severe sepsis without septic shock. Chapter‑specific guidelines state, “First code for the underlying systemic infection, followed by a code R65.20, Severe sepsis. If the causal organism is not documented, assign code A41.9, Sepsis, unspecified organism, for the infection. Additional code(s) for the associated acute organ dysfunction are also required.”
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Clinical Documentation Improvement