Final answer:
E codes in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) are used to describe external causes of injury or health conditions. ICD codes assist healthcare professionals in treatment, laboratory testing, and insurance processing. E codes, along with other ICD codes, can be found in medical records and health documents.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of code that describes external causes of injury, poisoning, or other adverse reactions affecting a person's health are known as E codes in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). These codes are used by healthcare professionals to capture detailed information about the circumstances surrounding a patient's injury or health condition. For instance, when a patient seeks treatment for an injury such as a fall, the clinician would use E codes in addition to other ICD codes to fully document the incident.
ICD codes play a critical role in healthcare. They are routinely used by clinicians to order specific laboratory tests and prescribe treatments needed for various health conditions. The chosen ICD code guides medical laboratories in identifying necessary tests to confirm a diagnosis. Moreover, the health-care management system uses these codes to ensure that all treatments and laboratory work are suitable for the patient's condition. Medical coders and billers rely on these codes to assign the appropriate code for procedures performed and to process insurance claims for reimbursement.
Vital records keepers and epidemiologists also use ICD codes for their purposes. These professionals may record cause of death on death certificates and calculate morbidity and mortality statistics, respectively. You can commonly find ICD codes in a patient's medical records and on various health documents and claims used within the healthcare system.