Code Blue

Obamacare, the gift that keeps on giving, is responsible for a new federal mandate that increases the number of codes used to translate medical information between medical providers and insurance companies. There are currently 18,000 codes used to describe an injury, where it took place, and how it was remedied.  Obamacare increases the number of codes to around 140,000.  According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, "There are codes for injuries in opera houses, art galleries, squash courts and nine locations in and around a mobile home." "It will also have a code for recording that a patient's injury occurred in a chicken coup."  Is this really helpful?

The federal agencies charged with developing the new system is collectively known as ICD-10, for International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision.  "It's for accuracy of data and quality of care," says an advisor at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Some of the new provisions include coding to describe "bizarre personal appearance", or "very low level of personal hygiene."  A W22.02XA for example is code for "walked into lampost, initial encounter."  That's to distinguish it from a W22.02XD, "walked into lampost, subsequent encounter."  Not dumb enough for you?  How about a  V91.07XA, code for "burn due to water-skis on fire."  I suppose a person who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 could be coded OV.08 or "uninformed."  Someone who plans to vote for him again in 2012 should  be labeled "mentally challenged."

One of the more upsetting aspects of the article was the fact that there exists in our country a credentialing organization known as the American Academy of Professional Coders.  If that isn't a sign that government busybodies have truly run amok then I don't know what is.  Honestly, wouldn't you rather tell your wife that you were going to Las Vegas for the Adult Video Awards, then to a convention of coders?