Dementia — ICD-10 Documentation and Coding Guidance
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Guidance for ICD-10 diagnosis coding, documentation best practices, and classification of dementia (types, severity, behavioral disturbances) for clinicians and coding staff working with Independence Administrators products.
No material clinical or coverage changes in this revision.
Documentation and Coding Criteria
Documentation and coding criteria
Documentation and coding requirements to support diagnosis coding of dementia.
ICD-10 Code Examples and Families
| F01.- | Vascular dementia (requires additional characters) |
| F01.50 | Vascular dementia |
| F01.518 | Vascular dementia with behavioral disturbances |
| F01.3 | Mixed vascular dementia |
| F02.- | Dementia in diseases classified elsewhere (etiology coded first) |
| F03.- | Dementia, unspecified |
| G20 | Parkinson's Disease (example of disease classified elsewhere) |
| G30.1 | Alzheimer's Disease with Late Onset |
| G30.0 | Alzheimer's Disease with Early Onset |
| G31.83 | Dementia/Neurocognitive Disorder with Parkinsonism or Lewy Bodies |
Required Provider Documentation Actions
Required documentation elements for dementia diagnosis
Document the dementia category/type using the ICD-10 family codes (F01, F02, F03); specify severity as Mild, Moderate, or Severe; and state whether behavioral disturbances are present or absent. For vascular dementia and dementia in diseases classified elsewhere, code the underlying physiological condition first.
- Record Category/Type: F01, F02, F03.
- Specify Severity: Mild, Moderate, Severe.
- Document presence or absence of behavioral disturbances.
- If vascular dementia or dementia due to another disease, list/code the underlying condition first.
Definitions and Classification
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