Our wonderful DecisionHealth Daily readers do not shy away from the difficult questions (well, the difficult to read questions, anyway) and have put in their two cents on our query concerning ICD-10, cannibalism and the founding of our great nation.
 
And the answer is: Stay away from the brains, human or animal, no matter who thinks it’s a delicacy. You can catch some nasty diseases that way.
 
To recap, we were riffing off the news of late that scientists and archaelogists have found proof positive that the early  English settlers of Jamestown, Virginia, resorted to cannibalism in an attempt to stave off starvation in the winter of 1610.
 
This was based on markings on the skull from a 14-year-old girl found during excavation of the fort on the James River that indicated someone had tried, in desperation, to remove the flesh from the face and brain. Both are considered delicacies when taken from other animals. With relief, scientists also reported the girl was likely already dead.
 
To which we asked, what ICD-10 codes might apply for a patient who had suffered the various maladies plaguing settlers: starvation, a lack of fresh drinking water, harsh weather, arrow attack and biting insects.
 
All of our dear responders naturally went straight for the brain of the matter. So to speak.
 
The clinical services director for a home and hospice company offered up, “Creutzfeldt- Jakob Disease,  046.11 or 046.19.” The coding coordinator for a neurology clinic went with “Kuru—ICD-10 A81.81.”
 
Both are on the mark. Of course,  CJD is sometimes referred to as “mad cow” disease, and, according to our own coding expert Julia Kyles, is known to come from eating the brains of an animal with a prion disease (such those as from said angry bovine). Kuru is a disease found in people who eat the brains of people with CJD.
 
So kudos to both responders! And an honorable mention to the gentleman who simply replied that the code was “DEAD  &  ID10T.”
 
What do we get out of this small exercise? The ultimate knowledge that when dealing with this depth of detail in coding, access to the Medical Practice Coding Pro website, complete with ICD-9 and ICD-10 search, is essential to the careful coder.