BREAKING: HHS Proposes Delaying ICD-10 Deadline to Oct. 1, 2014
Until then, emergency rooms around the country will just have to guess between W22.02XA and W22.02XD.
W22.02XA is the code for “walked into lamppost, initial encounter.”
W22.02XD is the code for “walked into lamppost, subsequent encounter.”
Entire article in Modern Healthcare worth reading.
wow
I can see how the Emergency Room doctor might explain your injury as “walked into lamppost…” But I’m not sure why the fact that it was the “initial encounter” is of any use to the medical community (especially since it’s your medical record and HIPAA prevents disclosure).
However, if the ER personnel need to use the CPT code for “walked into lamppost, subsequent encounter” then you probably have more wrong with you than just a bump on the head and face. At this point, some psychiatric diagnostic codes may be needed.
“Burn due to water-skis on fire” is one of several new ICD codes related to burning water skis.
http://graphicsweb.wsj.com/documents/MEDICALCODES0911/#term=Water-skis
Who would have guessed that burning water skis were such a public health problem?
There could also be something else going on……many people in the past may have told ERs that the knot/bruise in their face came from walking into a lamppost when it really came from something else, like a fight, violence, etc. They just didn’t want to disclose that to the medics.
Not sure how they came up with these codes, but the only thing I can think of is that they are based on what people have reported often in the past.
Maybe this should be classified in the new DSM V as you must be crazy to keep running into a lamppost