Healthcare Standards There Are Three Parts. Part

Healthcare Standards

there are three parts. PART A REQUIRES 4 DIFFERENT ANSWERS

Standard: ICD-10-PCS

"ICD-10-PCS is intended to replace ICD-9 volume 3 for facility reporting of inpatient procedures….ICD-10-PCS is a totally new coding system designed to better accommodate the rapidly changing world of procedures. The code system was developed in the 1990s, but use of the continually updated codes will start almost 20 years later." (Dimick 2011). This new standard is supposed to be more accurate and reflective of current healthcare realities than standards of the past, but it is uncertain if in its implementation this promise will be realized.

Current status of implementation

This standard has yet to be fully implemented. "On October 1, 2013, healthcare providers must begin reporting HIPAA claims using the ICD-10 counterparts to the current ICD-9 code sets" and full implementation will be a 20-year process (Dimick 2011).

Three major issues related to implementation status

Little research exists regarding its ease of use or even of its practical efficacy. "Outside of a pilot study focused on ease of use, little practical knowledge exists concerning the ease or efficacy of coding procedures in the code set" (Dimick 2011).

New standards have been implemented in terms of defining anatomy, regarding a radical shift to how coding is implemented: "ICD-10-PCS has its own way of describing anatomy" (Dimick 2011).

In an effort to make the coding more precise, potential applications are "somewhat problematic. For example, excision is defined as 'cutting out or off, without replacement, a portion of a body part' while resection is 'cutting out or off, without replacement, all of a body part.' If a surgical procedure involves the removal of part of one body part and all of another (e.g., thyroidectomy with removal of local lymph nodes), how is it coded? The basic answer is that multiple codes are applied" (Dimick 2011).

The practice implications of either having or not having this standard in place

However, not implementing the standard is still more problematic. Much has changed in medicine and a radical updating to the coding system is demanded. The ability to continually update codes is also required in today's ever-changing environment, and this alterability is a critical feature of the new standard.

Part B: Practice implication of not having a Standard HL7

"HL7 standards are among the most widely used technology specifications in healthcare. HL7 standards help the healthcare industry increase efficiency, reduce cost and improve quality of care. HL7 also offers tools, training and support for standards implementation" (Health Level 7 International, 2013, HL7). Universal standards of coding enable researchers to better able to compare data sets internationally, thus facilitating the ability to compare the efficacy of treatments from a wider array of clients in an accurate fashion. "HL7 and its members provide a framework (and related standards) for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. These standards define how information is packaged and communicated from one party to another, setting the language, structure and data types required for seamless integration between systems. HL7 standards support clinical practice and the management, delivery, and evaluation of health services, and are recognized as the most commonly used in the world" (Introduction to HL7 Standards, 2013. HL&).