Which code in the Tom Smith encounter identifies the coronary artery disease with native arteries?

Which code in the Tom Smith encounter identifies the coronary artery disease with native arteries?

• A. Atrial fibrillation
• B. Coronary artery disease of native arteries
• C. Acute myocardial infarction
• D. Heart failure

Answer: (B)

The important idea here is choosing the code that matches where the disease actually exists—in this case, the patient's own (native) coronary arteries. When the encounter documentation specifies coronary artery disease of native arteries, the correct descriptor is the one that explicitly names native arteries. That term identifies CAD in the original coronary vessels, not in bypass grafts or other structures. The other options describe different cardiac conditions—an arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation), an acute event (acute myocardial infarction), or a heart pump problem (heart failure)—which don’t describe CAD in the native arteries themselves. So the code that literally states coronary artery disease of native arteries is the best match.

The important idea here is choosing the code that matches where the disease actually exists—in this case, the patient's own (native) coronary arteries. When the encounter documentation specifies coronary artery disease of native arteries, the correct descriptor is the one that explicitly names native arteries. That term identifies CAD in the original coronary vessels, not in bypass grafts or other structures. The other options describe different cardiac conditions—an arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation), an acute event (acute myocardial infarction), or a heart pump problem (heart failure)—which don’t describe CAD in the native arteries themselves. So the code that literally states coronary artery disease of native arteries is the best match.