Long Term Medication Codes and PRN Medications
Published on
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Did You Know?
The advice from Coding Clinic, First Quarter 2021, page 12 advises that medications prescribed on a “PRN” or “as needed” basis are not considered to be long term drug therapy. This means that Z79, Long Term Drug Therapy would not be assigned for these medications.
Why It Matters?
Coding long term medication use for a drug that is given only on an “as needed” basis would be contradictory to the Z79 code description as it implies continuous use of a drug for an extended period of time.
What Can I Do?
Review Coding Clinic, 1ST Quarter 2021, page 12. Read the medication list, determine the medications to be coded and then look to see how they are prescribed.
Coding Clinic, 1ST Quarter 2021, page 12.Article Author: Anita Meyers, RHIT, CCS
Anita Meyers, RHIT, CCS, is an Inpatient Coding Professional at Medical Management Plus. Anita has over twenty-six years of experience in inpatient and outpatient coding including 17 years of work at AQAF reviewing inpatient and outpatient records from Alabama hospitals. In addition to reviewing records she was the team leader in Beneficiary Services where she participated in case review activities, received and processed beneficiary complaints and handled fee-for-service denials for home health, hospice and skilled nursing facility services. Prior to joining the MMP team, Anita left AQAF to become an inpatient contract coder and worked at various hospitals in central Alabama. In her current position, Anita is an integral part of the Inpatient Services at Medical Management Plus.
