Which code indicates the patient is unable to respond to a health literacy question?

• A. Code 7
• B. Code 8
• C. Health Literacy
• D. Cognitive Function

Answer: (B)

When you’re documenting health literacy, you need a code that clearly states whether the patient could answer the question. The best choice is the code that specifically means the patient is unable to respond to the health literacy question. This signals that no health literacy data could be collected for this patient at this time due to their condition or barriers, rather than indicating a level of literacy or a different domain.

Using the code that represents an inability to respond prevents mislabeling the patient’s literacy status and keeps the data accurate. The option that would imply you completed a health literacy assessment, or that points to a separate domain like cognitive function, isn’t appropriate when the patient cannot answer. Other codes may cover cases like refusal or not tested, but they don’t convey the exact situation of being unable to respond to the health literacy question.