RE: ICD-10 Preparation (Carl Ganio, DPM)
From: Harry Goldsmith, DPM, David J. Freedman, DPM
"I have become aware over the years that the ICD codes are owned by the AMA, not HHS." - Carl Ganio, DPM
The ICD-9 and ICD-10 are not owned by the AMA. ICD-10 is owned by the World Health Organization (WHO). The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is responsible for coordination of all official disease classification activities (use, interpretation, and periodic revision) in the United States related to the ICD. NCHS is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Harry Goldsmith, DPM, Cerritos, CA, hgfca@verizon.net
ICD (International Classification of Diseases) coding is owned by the WHO (World Health Organization). In the United States, patient diagnosis codes for the ICD10-CM and ICD9 CM are developed and administrated by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) based in Hyattsville, MD. ICD10 PCS and ICD9 PCS are developed and administrated by CMS (Centers of Medicare and Medicaid) based in Baltimore, MD.
The AMA does not own the ICD, they may publish textbooks and sell them, but they only own CPT. The AMA makes their money off of selling the CPT codes in all forms of media only and interestingly, without CPT, the AMA would probably not exist. We should be promoting the federal government to use both ICD PCS and CM, and then CPT and AMA would have no value in coding of medicine for procedures. This would lead to the downfall of the AMA, but no one is pushing this agenda. In the hospital system, they have to use ICD PCS and ICD CM, so why not the rest of U.S. medicine?
David J. Freedman, DPM, Silver Spring, MD, DJFREEDMAN@aol.com
