ACDIS update: Regulatory Committee success

During the March 9, 2022, meeting for the CMS Coordination and Maintenance Committee (C&M) meeting, two proposals from the ACDIS Regulatory Committee were presented.

The Regulatory Committee has devoted an abundance of time to these proposals, and they were among only a few that were accepted for the presentations at the C&M meeting.

The first proposal requested the addition of codes in ICD-10-CM representing different areas of the body affected by Crohn’s disease, specifically the esophagus. The second proposal was for additional codes for sickle-cell dactylitis; this is an issue with preverbal children/infants and sometimes the first indication there is a problem with these patients. These codes would be under consideration for the fiscal year 2023 update.

Many hours were spent getting the two proposals ready, revised, and finally presented during the call. Howard Rodenberg, MD, MPH, CCDS, physician advisor for CDI at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida, and the former chair of the ACDIS Regulatory Committee presented the proposals.

The Regulatory Committee received not only endorsements for the proposals, from individuals and organizations that are not always easy to please, but also had attendees thanking them because these medical diagnoses have affected their lives in some way.

According to Sharme Brodie, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDI education specialist and CDI Boot Camp instructor for HCPro in Middleton, Massachusetts, and current chair of the ACDIS Regulatory Committee, “This [meeting] will go down as being one of my better days as a CDI specialist, and I know my co-chair Kay Piper will agree, that today we feel not only personally gratified but also thrilled that this committee is continuing to earn the respect and recognition that it deserves for all its hard work. It truly takes a village.”

Editor’s note: Contact the Regulatory Committee via Brodie at sbrodie@hcpro.com.