2025 ICD-10-CM code R19.7
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Deletion Date: N/A Symptoms - Other symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99) Feed
Diarrhea, unspecified. This code is used when a patient presents with diarrhea, and the cause cannot be determined.
Medical necessity for further evaluation depends on the severity of the diarrhea and the presence of any concerning symptoms such as severe dehydration, fever, or blood in the stool.Appropriate investigations are medically necessary to identify any underlying condition requiring specific treatment.
The clinical responsibility for a patient presenting with R19.7 includes a thorough history taking, physical examination (focusing on the abdomen), and potentially ordering investigations such as stool cultures, blood tests, or imaging studies to determine the etiology of the diarrhea.Management may involve symptomatic treatment (e.g., antidiarrheal medication, fluid replacement) while awaiting further diagnostic information.
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)
- Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified > Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen
In simple words: This code means the patient has diarrhea (loose, watery stools), but the doctor doesn't know what's causing it yet.
R19.7, Diarrhea, unspecified, is an ICD-10-CM code used to classify instances of diarrhea where the underlying cause remains undetermined after investigation.It's applied when a more specific diagnosis cannot be established, even after thorough evaluation. This code encompasses cases where diarrhea is a transient symptom, a provisional diagnosis in patients who didn't return for follow-up, or situations where a definitive diagnosis is unavailable for other reasons.The code is part of the broader category encompassing symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen, excluding explicitly defined conditions like intestinal obstruction or gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Example 1: A 35-year-old female presents to the clinic with complaints of watery diarrhea for three days. No other symptoms are reported.After a thorough workup including stool analysis which comes back negative, R19.7 is assigned., A 60-year-old male is admitted to the hospital with severe dehydration secondary to diarrhea.Initial investigations, including stool cultures and blood tests, do not reveal a specific cause. R19.7 is used as a temporary code pending further evaluation., A 12-year-old child is seen in the emergency department with diarrhea and abdominal pain.Tests are pending.R19.7 is assigned as a preliminary code, as the cause is still undetermined.
Detailed patient history (duration, frequency, consistency of stools, associated symptoms like nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain), physical examination findings, results of all relevant laboratory tests (e.g., stool culture, complete blood count), imaging studies if performed, and any treatment provided.
** This code should be used cautiously and only when all efforts have been made to identify the cause of diarrhea.It is essential to document all investigative efforts in the medical record to justify the use of this unspecified code.
- Payment Status: Active
- Specialties:Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics
- Place of Service:Office, Emergency Room - Hospital, Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital