Electronic Coding for Abnormal Fecal Immunochemical Test Is Associated With Increased Colonoscopy Completion

We examined the utility of the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code, R19.5, for a positive or abnormal fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and its association with colonoscopy completion.

We identified all patients in a safety-net health system who underwent FITs from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021, and extracted the FIT date, FIT result, and ICD-10 code (R19.5) and colonoscopy procedures for each patient.

FIT-positive patients who had an R19.5 designation within 90 days (n = 383) were significantly more likely than all other FIT-positive patients (n = 273) to complete a colonoscopy within 6 months (40.9% vs 16.8%, P <0.001).

We found that less than two-thirds of patients had an ICD-10 code designated in their chart within 30 days of an abnormal FIT. When coding occurred in a timely manner, patients were more likely to complete their colonoscopy within 6 months.