"Struck by Orca": 72 ICD-10 Codes, Illustrated
Lying on blankets at an outdoor concert in Madison, Wis., last July, a group of health IT professionals were on their smartphones, finding and laughing at some of the more unusual and seemingly unnecessary ICD-10 codes.
The idea of making an illustrated children's book using the codes was tossed around that night, says Niko Skievaski, a former Epic employee who currently works with health IT-focused incubator100state in Madison. But it wasn't until last fall that the idea for a book began to take shape.
"Months later, I was at a bar with some people from the [health IT] community, and we got back on the subject of these ridiculous codes, and a possible book, and some people said, 'Hey, I'd do a piece of art for that,'" he says.
As health IT professionals, Mr. Skievaski and the book's contributors are aware of the controversy surrounding the ICD-10 switch and the pressure the looming Oct. 1 deadline is placing on providers. As an incubator, the group is focused on finding ways to improve the U.S. healthcare system through the use of technology.
Finding a way to ease the ICD-10 proved a bit of a stumbling block, as the group struggled to see how the transition would benefit providers. "It was very hard to identify the benefits, except for insurers having better data, but it was easy to identify the ways it seemed ridiculous," says Mr. Skievaski. "Because we couldn't figure out how to help, we decided to bring some humor to the situation.
"This is our way of helping out," he says.
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