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.