When health care professionals see patients, they attach diagnostic labels with codes to the patient’s medical record. These codes are from ICD -10, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.
How are these used and why are these codes important?
• accuracy of diagnosis in medical records impacts patient management
• insurance reimbursement for diagnostic testing and for treatments is linked to ICD-10 coding
• researchers can use these codes to track the prevalence of each diagnosis and to assist with outcomes research
• hospitals can use these codes to track readmissions and other trends
• accurate coding can influence approval or denial of disability claims
Why does this matter to us?
The currently available codes being used for intracranial hypotension are not optimal to facilitate the above important uses. Non-specific codes and incorrect codes are often used, rather than specific appropriate codes.
So, we organized a team of experts to review the current ICD-10 coding and to submit a proposal for coding revisions.
If coding revisions are approved for intracranial hypotension, impact on patient care, insurance reimbursement and research will be favorable. This very important for any disease, probably more so for an underdiagnosed disorder as we try to track prevalence and perform more outcomes research.
We will keep you posted.
Note: The ICD-10 is copyrighted by the World Health Organization (WHO), which owns and publishes the classification. WHO has authorized the development of an adaptation of ICD-10 for use in the United States for U.S. government purposes. As agreed, all modifications to the ICD-10 must conform to WHO conventions for the ICD. ICD-10-CM was developed following a thorough evaluation by a Technical Advisory Panel and extensive additional consultation with physician groups, clinical coders, and others to assure clinical accuracy and utility.
The ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee is a Federal interdepartmental committee. Responsibility for maintenance of the ICD-10 in the USA is shared between two agencies, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and one from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).