A Different Kind of Medical Drama: Local Doctors Give Voice to Bizarre New “ICD-10” Diagnosis Codes
Have you been struck by a duck? Maybe hurt in a spaceship accident? If so, the new medical coding system that went live across the nation this month has a code that applies to you. The tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases, or “ICD 10,” includes almost seventy thousand codes — roughly five times as many as the previous system. Some of the new ones are shockingly specific. Others are puzzlingly vague. The changeover could cause serious issues in coming months, including glitches in billing, insurance claims, and new computer systems. But today, we’re looking at a lighter side: WBHM’s Dan Carsen recruited some experts to give dramatic voice to some of the more, uhm, “interesting” codes. Listen to some brave Birmingham-area healthcare professionals above. There’s more information below.
Key Excerpts
“[The new codes] are a little bit more time-consuming. And some of the minutia — one wonders whether that granularity is really necessary: ‘non-venomous reptile biting me in the right thumb on a Tuesday at this portion of the lunar cycle.'” — University of Alabama at Birmingham infectious disease specialist Dr. James Willig
“The specificity of describing how [people] were injured is remarkable. For me, it has only been a positive thing because it has been the source of tremendous amounts of humor.” — Brookwood-Baptist Health System infectious disease specialist Mukesh Patel
A Few “Favorite” Codes
From Amanda Willig, Assistant Professor in UAB’s Department of Medicine:
Code Z63.1: Problems in relationship with in-laws.
Code R46.1: Bizarre personal appearance.
Code 7Z3.1: Type-A behavior pattern.
(But you really should listen to her reading them herself.)
More Information
To find codes by letter-number designation or by keyword (try “thumb” or “parrot,” for example), click here.
For more irreverent illustrations of the strangest ICD-10 codes “in action,” click here.
The Assad regime’s fall has freed displaced Syrians stuck in a remote desert camp
More than 7,000 people had taken shelter in the Rukban camp, near the border with Jordan, many of whom fled the regime and ISIS attacks almost a decade ago.
Mariah Carey and K-pop group Stray Kids rule this week’s charts
Holiday music rules the pop charts once again this week, as Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" scores its 17th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 — the third longest run of all time.
Starbucks baristas’ ‘strike before Christmas’ has reached hundreds of U.S. stores
Starbucks' union says workers are walking off the job at some 300 — out of over 10,000 — stores across the U.S. as contract negotiations falter. The company urges it to return to the bargaining table.
American Airlines lifts ground stop that froze Christmas Eve travelers
American Airlines passengers across the U.S. endured a sudden disruption of service on Christmas Eve as a "technical issue" forced the airline to request a nationwide ground stop of its operations.
We needed comic relief in 2024. Here are 5 stand-up specials where we found it
Hasan Minhaj, Ronny Chieng, Mike Birbiglia, Hannah Einbinder and Michelle Buteau all delivered specials that cracked us up this year.
An Indian movie, loved abroad, is snubbed at home for Oscar submission
All We Imagine as Light explores the lives of working-class women in Mumbai and won the Grand Prix at Cannes. But it was deemed not Indian enough to submit to the Oscars.
