In the healthcare industry, the acronym known as ICD 10 is a very powerful 5 character term, however what exactly is ICD 10? Why is it so important in the overall field of healthcare and what does is mean for the providers and the patients that they serve?
ICD 10 stands for International Classification of Disease, Tenth Edition. It is the global coding system that all healthcare systems use, even internationally. ICD was formed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1989. It was made to replace ICD 9, which was formed and implemented in 1989 and had become very outdated. Problems with ICD 9 included structure limits with the number of digits used in a code, it also was hard to implement a new code into an already existing category because some of the categories were already full. There are, of course, many more reasons that the older system needed updated; however one of the most important reasons was the need for better specificity of the actual coding affecting the proper documentation needed to support claims that were sent by physician’s offices to insurance companies. (www)
The change to ICD 10 was not …show more content…
The benefits of the specificity for insurance companies and health care professionals are huge. The pros, cons, expenses, training and overall aggravations- seem to be worth it, or it wouldn’t be functioning like it is. The overall plus that the system gives to the general public and international land of health care are definitely worth it. After all, if even one epidemic on a global scale can be lessened or diverted and slowed in a quick and efficient manner, that is huge in itself! So, that said, like many things in life – the time, energy and work of just rolling up your sleeves and getting it done, generally pay off in the end. I believe the marriage of the healthcare world and ICD – as a whole – will be with us for a long
ICD 10 stands for International Classification of Disease, Tenth Edition. It is the global coding system that all healthcare systems use, even internationally. ICD was formed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1989. It was made to replace ICD 9, which was formed and implemented in 1989 and had become very outdated. Problems with ICD 9 included structure limits with the number of digits used in a code, it also was hard to implement a new code into an already existing category because some of the categories were already full. There are, of course, many more reasons that the older system needed updated; however one of the most important reasons was the need for better specificity of the actual coding affecting the proper documentation needed to support claims that were sent by physician’s offices to insurance companies. (www)
The change to ICD 10 was not …show more content…
The benefits of the specificity for insurance companies and health care professionals are huge. The pros, cons, expenses, training and overall aggravations- seem to be worth it, or it wouldn’t be functioning like it is. The overall plus that the system gives to the general public and international land of health care are definitely worth it. After all, if even one epidemic on a global scale can be lessened or diverted and slowed in a quick and efficient manner, that is huge in itself! So, that said, like many things in life – the time, energy and work of just rolling up your sleeves and getting it done, generally pay off in the end. I believe the marriage of the healthcare world and ICD – as a whole – will be with us for a long