Chris Powell, CEO for the health information management company Precyse, says the ICD-10 switchover slated to happen by Oct. 1, 2015, is a much needed change to medical coding throughout the country — and especially important when it comes to finding cures for patients.
''With its ability to capture comprehensive data, ICD-10 will improve medical performance, help find new and more effective cures and identify areas for creating efficiencies,'' Mr. Powel argues, adding that ICD-9 is ''primarily a reimbursement system that provides minimal (if any) tracking data on what procedures, devices, and treatments are effective against illnesses and injuries.''
ICD-10 can track the costs of conditions and treatments, as well as help to monitor the severity of injuries and other patient health issues. ICD-9, on the other hand, curtailed physicians' ability to analyze such trends.
The change is so important, Mr. Powell argues, that it should've happened three years ago. He warns that Congress may push for another delay, but inevitably that would hinder medical progress for as long as the delay takes hold.
A delay would be another ''lost opportunity that will result when an antiquated, 20th-century coding scheme hobbles America's ability to build a 21st-century healthcare system,'' he says.
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