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Federally-Mandated Medical Coding Gums Up IT Ops
Lucas123 writes "The change over from a medical coding system in use since the 1970s to an updated version that adds more than 50,000 new 7-character codes is being compared to Y2K as an IT project that is nearly impossible to complete on time. ICD-10, which replaces ICD-9, adds far more granularity to medical diagnosis and treatment. For example, ICD-9 has one code for a finger amputation. In contrast, ICD-10 has a code for every finger and every section of every finger. An 'unfunded mandate,' the change over to ICD-10 codes is a multi-year project for hospitals, state Medicaid organizations, and insurance providers. The effort, which affects dozens of core systems, is taxing IT operational budgets at a time when shops are already under the gun to implement electronic health records."
Due to that update, one guy almost lost a hand, as he was mistakenly sent to amputee it.
And this is why Government interference has made health costs skyrocket. My great-grandfather practically lived in a hospital during the late 40s and early 50s (he was paralyzed). Back then it was possible because the cost of the room was no more expensive than renting a hotel room. He was a poor farmer, but still able to pay the bill out of his own pocket.
So what's changed since then?
- Government regulations that require TONS more paperwork (like ICD-10), additional labor just to do that paperwork, and thereby cause costs to skyrocket.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Well, programmers tend not to allocate more space that absolutely necessary.
Thats why we see that junk. Look how much havoc that can cause..
Y2K is nothing compared to above.
Due to that update, one guy almost lost a hand, as he was mistakenly sent to amputee it.