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September 11, 2015
Title: A Medical Tsunami is on the Horizon
Topic: Medical Coding
Discussed by Dr. Richard Amerling
with Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (www.aapsonline.org)
Part 1 of 2
The bureaucrats in the healthcare control business are unleashing a
tsunami and it will hit October 1. Medical coding for billing
purposes started back in the 1980’s. It started out as a good thing (aren’t all
government programs?) to help hospitals and then doctors a few years later. Now,
it has morphed into something completely the opposite.
Dr. Richard Amerling,
with the
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, explains medical coding in easy-to-understand terms.
For example, a simple diagnosis for the common cold could easily be changed to
double pneumonia! Think of how much the insurance company would need to increase
their payment to the doctor or hospital when this happens!
As if things weren’t bad enough, Dr. Amerling says it will get a whole lot worse
beginning October 1 when the new coding system takes effect. He fears that many
physicians will just close their practice. They simply won’t be able to afford
the change or the hours it will take to learn the information required.
Furthermore, Dr. Amerling believes that insurance companies don’t even need to
know what your medical diagnosis is! Listen in as he passionately explains his
position on this issue.
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Title: Part 2 of 2 - A Medical Tsunami is on the Horizon
Topic: Medical Coding
Discussed by Dr. Richard Amerling
with Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (www.aapsonline.org)
The IC-10 system was developed by the World Health Organization, which should
set off alarm bells immediately. Many other countries have already implemented
this system, but that doesn’t mean America should!
Right now, there are approximately 14,000 different codes for doctors to choose
from. On October 1, that number will jump to 70,000. How are physicians,
hospitals, nurses, and administrative staff supposed to keep up with it all? In
fact, Dr. Amerling says every small practice will need to hire at least one
medical coder who does nothing all day long except decipher which code to submit
for every patient. It’s just ridiculous. Imagine the financial hardship larger
practices and hospitals will face!
Listen in as Dr. Amerling explains some of the new codes and why exactly they
are simply unmanageable. In his opinion, medical coding is a complete waste of
time and money. It does nothing to improve the health of patients, nor does it
help with a diagnosis. It is simply another way for insurance companies and the
government to make money, while the doctor and hospital loses even more.
Another issue of concern is fraud. If a doctor or medical coder inadvertently
submits the incorrect code to the insurance company, they could face fraud
charges! Dr. Amerling discusses why this is going to be a big concern for
physicians and hospitals because the margin of error with 70,000 codes to choose
from will be massive.
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