Tip for Hospice Nurses: Dyspnea has a diagnosis code… but can you use it as your primary hospice diagnosis? Unfortunately, No, you cannot use symptoms as your Primary Hospice Diagnosis. Symptoms don’t stand alone, they must be traced back to the underlying disease process. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Dyspnea → often tied to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, or another lung condition. 2️⃣ Edema → may be from end-stage congestive heart failure, end-stage renal failure, or en