Question

Which of the following statements is not true about E codes? E codes are always the primary or first diagnosis listed.

1) E codes are always the primary or first diagnosis listed.
2) E codes are used to classify external causes of injury or poisoning.
3) E codes are not used for diseases or conditions.
4) E codes are only used in the United States.

Answer 1

E codes are supplementary ICD codes used to classify external causes of injury or poisoning, not the primary diagnosis; they provide additional context and are used internationally, not just in the U.S.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that E codes are always the primary or first diagnosis listed is not true about E codes. E codes, as part of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), are specifically used to classify external causes of injury or poisoning and are supplementary codes that provide additional data. They are not used to code for diseases or conditions, and thus are not listed as the primary diagnosis. Instead, they are placed secondary to the main diagnosis to give context for the injury or event. Also, E codes are not exclusive to the United States; they are used internationally in various healthcare systems.

Medical coders and health professionals use ICD codes for various purposes including ordering specific laboratory tests, prescribing treatments, processing insurance claims, and recording vital statistics. These codes play a fundamental role in health-care management systems globally. One would likely find an ICD code on medical laboratory requests and on health records used by epidemiologists to calculate morbidity and mortality statistics.