THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

By Bob Walsh

PACOVILLA Corrections blog
February 28, 2014

The gift that keeps on giving, by which I mean Obamacare.

One of the requirements is a massive expansion of medical coding data, the use of which will be mandatory. Included in the new coding are injuries caused by a collision involving a horse-drawn vehicle and suicide by using a jellyfish. Also there will now be 85,000 treatment codes, up from the current 15,000.

One wonders how much grief this will cause the medical care system. I wonder if the prison systems are required to use this coding system. I expect so, as many convicts will now be covered by Obamacare.

Maybe I should rush out and start a medical coding business.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Effective October 1, 2014, doctors will be required to use a new coding system to record injuries and illnesses in line with the International Classification of Diseases as put forth by the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Here are just four codes in the new system:

T63622A - Toxic effect of contact with other jellyfish, intentional self-harm, initial encounter

V9542XA - Forced landing of spacecraft injuring occupant, initial encounter

V9733XA - Sucked into jet engine, initial encounter

V80731A - Occupant of animal-drawn vehicle injured in collision with streetcar, initial encounter