In simple words: This code indicates that you have a history of a problem with your digestive system, like an ulcer, appendicitis, or other digestive diseases. It's important to let your doctor know about your past digestive health issues as they can sometimes influence other treatments.

Personal history of diseases of the digestive system classifiable to categories K00-K93. This code indicates that the individual has a history of one or more diseases affecting the digestive system, such as esophageal conditions, stomach or duodenal ulcers, appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, or other disorders of the digestive tract.

Example 1: A patient presents for a routine check-up and reports a history of Crohn's disease, which is now in remission. The code Z87.1 is used to document this past medical history., A patient with a history of peptic ulcers is undergoing surgery for an unrelated condition. Z87.1 is used to alert the surgical team to the patient's increased risk of gastrointestinal complications., A patient is being evaluated for abdominal pain.They have a history of diverticulitis. The physician uses Z87.1 to document the history of diverticulitis, which is relevant to the current complaint.

Documentation should clearly state the specific digestive system disease(s) the patient has experienced.Medical records supporting the past diagnosis, such as discharge summaries or specialist reports, should be readily available.

** For proper coding, use Z87.1 along with the code for the primary reason for the encounter.Avoid using this code as the primary diagnosis unless the encounter is specifically for a follow-up related to the past digestive condition. In outpatient care, the ICD code on medical documents is always appended with a diagnostic confidence indicator (A, G, V or Z): A (excluded diagnosis), G (confirmed diagnosis), V (tentative diagnosis) and Z (condition after a confirmed diagnosis).