Z79.899 - Other long term (current) drug therapy

Hi All-
We are considering the use of this ICD 10 code to support medical necessity for lab testing while a patient is having chemotherapy.
I am struggling with the term long term in that I can't find documentation to clarify what is considered long term; 6 weeks, 3 months, a year?
Does anyone have an appropriate source where this is defined?
Thanks so much!

Comments

  • stolen from another forum- 

    Assign a code from Z79 if the patient is receiving a
    medication for an extended period as a prophylactic
    measure (such as for the prevention of deep vein
    thrombosis) or as treatment of a chronic condition
    (such as arthritis) or a disease requiring a lengthy
    course of treatment (such as cancer). Do not assign a
    code from category Z79 for medication being
    administered for a brief period of time to treat an
    acute illness or injury (such as a course of antibiotics
    to treat acute bronchitis).

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting
    FY 2016
    Page 84 of 115
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