K51.911
BillableUlcerative colitis, unspecified with rectal bleeding
HCC Category Mapping
V28HCC 81 — Ulcerative Colitis
0.000V24HCC 35 — Inflammatory Bowel Disease
0.289ESRDHCC 35 — Inflammatory Bowel Disease
0.000RxHCCHCC 67 — Inflammatory Bowel Disease
0.000What This Code Means
Ulcerative colitis of unspecified extent with bleeding from the rectum.
Coding Tips
- •Document the severity of bleeding (minor vs. significant) as this may impact clinical management and coding specificity.
- •Ensure rectal bleeding is directly attributed to the ulcerative colitis and not from another source.
Clinical Significance
Ulcerative colitis, unspecified, with rectal bleeding indicates active hemorrhagic disease but without documentation of the anatomic extent. The rectal bleeding confirms active disease requiring treatment, while the unspecified extent suggests the need for colonoscopy or provider query to determine disease distribution for optimal management.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Confirmed ulcerative colitis diagnosis
- ✓Documentation of rectal bleeding including severity and frequency
- ✓Provider attribution of bleeding to the ulcerative colitis
- ✓Laboratory values if clinically significant bleeding
- ✓Treatment plan for active disease and bleeding
- ✓Plan to determine disease extent via colonoscopy
Commonly Confused Codes
K51.911 vs K51.011/K51.211/K51.311/K51.511/K51.811 — Use extent-specific codes with rectal bleeding when extent is knownK51.911 vs K62.5 — K62.5 is hemorrhage of anus/rectum not related to inflammatory bowel diseaseK51.911 vs K51.90 — K51.90 is without complications; use K51.911 when bleeding is present
Code Hierarchy
└K51Ulcerative colitis└K51.9Ulcerative colitis, unspecified└K51.91Ulcerative colitis, unspecified, with complications└K51.911Ulcerative colitis, unspecified with rectal bleeding
└K51.911Ulcerative colitis, unspecified with rectal bleeding