A recent Addiction article suggests that alcohol abuse (AA) and alcohol dependence (AD) are not separate and distinct entities but part of the same family called Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). The DSM-IV and ICD-10 classifications use information from the 1976 formulation known as Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS).A look at the MS-DRG CC analysis for alcohol dependence (30391) and alcohol abuse (30500) shows that both diagnoses should have been assigned as a CC. Once again, I wonder why the panel chose to remove these as comorbidities. The future classification of AUDs should make it easier for coders, removing the problem of deciding between code assignment for alcohol abuse vs. alcohol dependence.
30391 UNSPECIFIED ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, CONTINUOUS USE
C1 8,243 1.143
C2 31,320 2.138
C3 9,700 3.069
30500 ALCOHOL ABUSE UNSPECIFIED USE
C1 16,907 0.982
C2 61,090 2.059
C3 17,185 3.002
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Filed under: classifications, clinical | Tagged: aud alcohol
