Signs and symptoms associated routinely with a disease process should be what?

The appropriate action regarding signs and symptoms associated routinely with a disease process is to code them. This is essential in the context of ICD-10-CM coding as it allows for a comprehensive and accurate representation of a patient's condition. Coding these signs and symptoms ensures that healthcare providers, payers, and researchers have consistent and reliable data for diagnoses and treatment. This practice reflects the complete clinical picture, facilitating appropriate care and reimbursement processes.

It's crucial to note that simply documenting the signs and symptoms is insufficient for coding purposes; instead, they must be translated accurately into the appropriate codes to comply with healthcare regulations and standards. Although signs and symptoms should indeed be documented as part of the clinical record, coding them is what connects the documentation to the billing and statistical needs in healthcare. Ignoring these signs and symptoms is contrary to best practices and could lead to incomplete patient records. Sequencing typically pertains to the order in which diagnoses and procedures are listed, which may be relevant after coding is completed, but does not apply directly to the action required for signs and symptoms themselves.