A: Someone with consistently high protein in the urine may have kidney disease, but other causes could include a buildup of abnormal proteins in the organs called amyloidosis, diabetes, hypertension, Hodgkin's disease or sickle cell anemia, states Mayo Clinic. High protein may also result from leukemia, lupus, heart disease or pregnancy.
The circumstances of inpatient admission always govern the selection of principal diagnosis. The principal diagnosis is defined in the Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS) as âthat condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission of the patient to the hospital for care.â.
Take the example of a patient who has acute CHF and an exacerbation of COPD at the time of admission. If both conditions equally meet the definition of a principal diagnosisâthe condition chiefly responsible for the admission of the patientâthe coder should use his or her own judgment in deciding which to use.