APFED and IES Announce Establishment of New Medical Codes for Eosinophil Diseases

For Immediate Release

APFED Contact: Mary Jo Strobel, Executive Director, (713) 493-7749, mjstrobel@apfed.org

IES Contact: Kate Filipiak, Executive Director, (414) 276-6445, kfilipiak@eosinophil-society.org

The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders and the International Eosinophil Society Announce Establishment of New Medical Codes for Eosinophil Diseases

(Atlanta, GA; Milwaukee, WI) — The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) and the International Eosinophil Society, Inc. (IES) are pleased to announce that new ICD 10-CM codes for subsets of eosinophil-associated diseases have been approved, thanks to the joint efforts of both organizations.

For nearly three years, APFED and IES have worked ambitiously to propose unique and distinct ICD-10-CM codes for subsets of eosinophilic diseases. The ICD-10-CM coding system is the U.S. version of the international classification system that groups related diseases and procedures for the purpose of reporting statistical information. The codes were approved by the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee (C&M) and will take effect on October 1, 2020. The ICD-10 C&M is a Federal interdepartmental committee comprised of representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

NEW ICD-10-CM Codes for eosinophil-associated diseases:

• Eosinophilic Asthma
• Chronic Eosinophilic Pneumonia
• Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia
• Lymphocytic Variant Hypereosinophilic Syndrome
• Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome
• Other Hypereosinophilic Syndrome
• Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS)

“ICD codes are necessary for billing, insurance and medical records, and national statistics,” explained Kathleen Sable, a member of APFED Board of Directors who spearheaded the initiative on the organization’s behalf. “They are also extremely important to the patient community, because they enable researchers to better track these diseases and gauge prevalence and associated health care costs.”

Pursuing medical codes for eosinophil-associated disease is not a new venture for APFED. In 2008, the organization led successful efforts for the establishment of medical codes for eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, which greatly advanced research efforts and national health resource allocation in the U.S. for these diseases.

“It was an honor to work closely with the IES on this important initiative,” said Sable. “We are grateful for their expertise to help shape the justification for the codes, and their staunch commitment to advocacy.”

Dr. Paneez Khoury, an IES Board Member said, “This is a big win for health services research and an advance for patients with eosinophil associated disorders (EADs).” In 2018, a clinical working group of the IES identified the lack of codes for EADs as an unmet need for outcomes research. They subsequently highlighted the priority codes for adoption in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology(1).

“Broadening the spectrum of ICD codes related to these chronic debilitating conditions will further the understanding of their epidemiology, costs, and outcome,” said Dr. Florence Roufosse, President of the IES. “This is a key step towards improving management of EAD and patient care. The perseverance and advocacy of APFED was instrumental to making it happen!”

About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)
The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy. https://apfed.org/

About the International Eosinophil Society, Inc. (IES)
The International Eosinophil Society (IES) is an organization of scientists and clinicians interested in the eosinophil. The Society was established to bring together scientists and medical experts from around the world who are engaged in research in the field of Eosinophil Biology and Eosinophil Disorders with a view to facilitating exchange of ideas and pursuing collaborative research projects dedicated to this inflammatory cell type and its role in diseases.
http://www.eosinophil-society.org/

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1. Revisiting the NIH Taskforce on the Research needs of Eosinophil-Associated Diseases (RE-TREAD). Khoury P, et al. J Leukoc Biol 2018 Jul;104(1):69-83.