Healthcare Update Satellite — 09-30-2014

This article mocks some of the entries in the government’s new ICD-10 coding scheme. For example, “Bizarre personal appearance” is actually a codeable diagnosis. Estimates are that the costs for a doctor’s practice to change to the new coding system will average from $56,000 to $226,000. And sure, being required to differentiate between Orca bites and piranha bites or between first and subsequent run-ins with a lamp post may seem idiotic to most people, but if the coding isn’t accurate, it gives the government the ability to allege that there was false billing and to levy huge fines or even imprisonment. That’s no laughing matter.
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs