2244 - Figures don't lie but.....

The old saying, 'Figure don't lie but liars can figure.' That was the first thing I thought of when I saw this headline on my Politifact.com sidebar below -
'Rep. Ted Poe says new Medicare rules require nine billing codes for turkey injuries.'

Ted Poe is Republican. That made the headline even more suspicious to me. So off I go to the article to see what's really going on. 

Are there really nine codes for turkeys injuries? Yes there are. 

Does it have anything to do with Obamacare? Not one bit.

It seems that there is a system called the "International Classification of Diseases". Right now everyone in the world is using ICD9. There are 13,000 diagnostic codes in ICD9. Soon everyone in the world will be using ICD10 (2014). There are 68,000 diagnostic codes in ICD10. ICD10 breaks things down to a more specific diagnosis when needed.

Let's take the turkey thing as an example. Apparently enough turkey injuries happen that they deserved a code all their own as do parrots, psittacines (other parrots), macaws, chickens, geese, and ducks. Then comes 'other birds'. 

Each of these has 9 codes. 

Bitten - 

initial encounter

subsequent encounter

sequela (negative after affect)

Struck - 

initial encounter

subsequent encounter

sequela

Other - 

initial encounter

subsequent encounter

sequela

Obamcare has adopted ICD10 now instead of waiting for 2014. Why implement ICD9 now and then change everything next year? It is obviously more efficient to do it this way. Unless you're Rep. Ted Poe. Then it becomes a political opportunity to muddle the ditto heads minds even more. 

Turkey injury - other, initial encounter.

I think you would only try to deep fry a frozen turkey once, right?