"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

THE BUREAUCRATIC HYDRA

This recent article in the Washington Post discusses the Tenth Edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). The number of medical diagnostic codes has been tripled to 68,000 classifications!

Note the following paragraph from the article:
There are different numbers for getting struck or bitten by a turkey (W61.42 or W61.43). There are codes for injuries caused by squirrels (W53.21) and getting hit by a motor vehicle while riding an animal (V80.919), spending too much time in a deep-freeze refrigerator (W93.2) and a large toe that has gone unexpectedly missing (Z89.419).
Absurdity in the extreme! And costly absurdity:
One study funded by the American Medical Association estimated that it could cost doctors’ offices $56,000 to $8 million to transition to ICD-10, depending on the size of the practice. The AMA, one of the larger groups opposed the switch, is still petitioning the federal government to reverse course.

No comments: