Question

The symbol that instructs you to use an additional ICD-9-CM code in all manuals is a (+).

A) True
B) False

Answer 1

The statement is false; the correct symbols used in ICD-9-CM to indicate that an additional code should be used are a dagger (†) or an asterisk (*), not a (+). These symbols indicate dual-coding situations for comprehensive disease descriptions.

So option (B) is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The symbol that instructs you to use an additional ICD-9-CM code in all manuals is not a (+). This is false. The correct symbol used in ICD-9-CM to indicate that an additional code should be used is actually a dagger (†) or an asterisk (*), depending on the manual. These symbols are used to signify that a dual coding situation may exist where two codes may be required to fully describe a condition, where one code represents the underlying etiology and another code represents a manifestation of the etiology.

For example, in cases of certain infections resulting in late effects, the infectious agent would be indicated with a dagger, while the late effect would be indicated with an asterisk. Always refer to the individual coding manual’s guidelines for the precise use of these symbols as they provide important instructions for accurate coding and reporting of medical diagnoses.