The Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO–HNS) has released substantive updates for two clinical indicators—parotidectomy and tracheostomy. The updates cover the switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding.
Robert R. Lorenz, MD, MBA, coordinator for practice affairs for the AAO-HNS emphasized that the clinical indicators “in no sense represent the ‘standards of care’” and should be used only as suggestions, not rules. They “should be modified by users when deemed medical necessary.”