Screening for obesity

This code indicates an encounter focused on screening a patient for the presence of obesity, without a definitive diagnosis of obesity being made at the time of the visit. It is used when a healthcare provider is proactively assessing a patient's weight status to identify potential obesity or risk factors.

This code is appropriate for routine health screenings, wellness visits, or preventive care encounters where obesity screening is performed as part of a general health assessment. It applies when the patient does not yet have a confirmed diagnosis of obesity but is being evaluated for it.

• Do not use this code if a definitive diagnosis of obesity (e.g., 278.00, 278.01) is already established or made during the same encounter.
• This code is for screening purposes only; if the screening results in a diagnosis of obesity, the appropriate obesity code should be used instead.
• Consider using this code as a secondary diagnosis when the primary reason for the encounter is another preventive service, and obesity screening is also performed.