Hint: Parkinsonism is a type of dementia.
Assign G31.83 (Dementia with Lewy bodies), followed by F02.80 (Dementia in other diseases classified elsewhere without behavioral disturbance), for a patient diagnosed with dementia with Parkinsonism, according to the alphabetic index.
These codes can be found by searching the index under “dementia,” scrolling to “with” and then to “Parkinsonism,” which leads to G31.83 [F02.80]. Though the name sounds similar, dementia with Parkinsonism is not the same thing as dementia due to Parkinson’s disease or Parkinson’s dementia.
Dementia with Parkinsonism is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory and thinking. Motor symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease typically develop later on in the course of the disease but the dementia always develops first, according to the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s.
Conversely, a patient with Parkinson’s dementia is someone who has already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and later develops dementia as a result of the disease process, according to the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s. Not all Parkinson’s patients develop dementia.
Dementia with Parkinsonism can also be referred to as Lewy body disease, Lewy body dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, according to tabular information. Other ways to search the index include “Dementia, Lewy body,” “Disease, Lewy body” and “Dementia, with, Lewy bodies.”
Tip: Do not assign G31.83 on the same claim as G20, as G31.83 is listed in an Excludes 1 note on G20, meaning that the two codes cannot be used together, according to coding guidelines. [I.A.12.a]