Tracking #Ebola Effectively hindered thanks to #ICD10 (double) delay

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Offers a timely reminder that the US Government delayed a second time the implementation of ICD10 coding system that is used in the rest of the world

There is no code for Ebola in ICD9 – just a non-specific 078.89: Other specified diseases due to viruses which covers:

Disease Synonyms Acute infectious lymphocytosis Cervical myalgia, epidemic Disease due to Alpharetrovirus Disease due to Alphavirus Disease due to Arenavirus Disease due to Betaherpesvirinae Disease due to Birnavirus Disease due to Coronaviridae Disease due to Filoviridae Disease due to Lentivirus Disease due to Lone star virus Disease due to Nairovirus Disease due to Orthobunyavirus Disease due to Parvoviridae Disease due to Pestivirus Disease due to Polyomaviridae Disease due to Respirovirus Disease due to Rotavirus Disease due to Spumavirus Disease due to Togaviridae Duvenhage virus disease Ebola virus disease Epidemic cervical myalgia Infectious lymphocytosis Lassa fever Le Dantec virus disease Marburg virus disease Mokola virus disease Non-arthropod-borne viral disease associated with AIDS Parainfluenza Pichinde virus disease Tacaribe virus disease Vesicular stomatitis Alagoas virus disease Viral encephalomyelocarditis Applies To Epidemic cervical myalgia Marburg disease

ICD-10 has one specific code for Ebola: A98.4 – Ebola Virus Disease Clinical Information A highly fatal, acute hemorrhagic fever, clinically very similar to marburg virus disease, caused by ebolavirus, first occurring in the sudan and adjacent northwestern (what was then) zaire.

Accurate tracking and reporting stop at the border of the United States

This is one of many examples of codes “missing” in ICD9 for conditions and care we are already delivering and dealing with