upcode

From up- +‎ code.

upcode (third-person singular simple present upcodes, present participle upcoding, simple past and past participle upcoded)

1. (medicine, chiefly US) To change the diagnostic code of a patient's condition from the correct code to one for which a larger amount can be billed.
   • 2014 March 28, Peter Parry, “Biologism in Psychiatry: A Young Man’s Experience of Being Diagnosed with “Pediatric Bipolar Disorder””, in Journal of Clinical Medicine‎, volume 3, →DOI:

     Several factors appear to have fueled the PBD epidemic: […] ; and diagnostic upcoding in the U.S. health system that rations treatment according to DSM diagnoses [ 14 ].

2. To give an improved code or rating to something.
   • 1962 June, “Talking of Trains: W.R. up-codes mineral and coal trains”, in Modern Railways, page 373:

     Introduction of more wagons fitted with vacuum brakes and roller-bearing axleboxes has made it possible to up-code trains conveying steel and coal traffic.

• couped