My Kid is a Damn Nutter

[Clodfobble]

It's the little things that show you times are changing.



This morning I had to get back on the phone with the insurance company because they denied a random claim on the basis that one of my codes was no longer considered valid by the American Medical Association. Turns out it was the diagnosis code that they were suddenly taking issue with, which was especially strange as we file, oh, a half-dozen claims a month with this code. The code is (or was) 299.0, autistic disorder.

In the most recent code updates, the AMA saw fit to distinguish this into two new categories: 299.00, autistic disorder current or active state, and 299.01, autistic disorder residual state.

It's a fundamental acknowledgement that kids are recovering. Of course they don't say this to journalists, and they don't say it to ignorant pediatricians, and they don't say it to the parents who are still not seeking effective treatments for their kids. No, they only say it to the insurance companies, because of course they're going to want to know if they shouldn't have to pay for a procedure if the condition is residual...