diagnostic vs screening colonoscopy

If a physician in their H&P says that a patient is coming in with a long history of constipation and now will have a screening Colonoscopy, Do you code this to a screening or a diagnositic due to the symptom of constipation? thank you!

Ask the doctor

is she screening for colon cancer or evaluating for a cause of the constipation? Or base it on what the patient asked for- that way if there is variable insurance coverage (one gets covered better than the other) you can fall back on "but that's what you wanted us to do"

how did the patient get there?

Can you look at the notes from the PCP and see what it says?