Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I am fortunate enough to live in Indiana, where we usually have 4 distinguishable seasons. So, the falling of leaves, the raking and piling and jumping into the leaves, the crisp air, the apples (with caramel of course), the pumpkins are all favorites of mine ... and oh yes, did I mention football and hot cocoa? Autumn signifies many things: the turning of a page, the changing of appearance; in addition, autumn is a symbol of ripeness or maturity. As I pondered this, I began to consider our organization and which season we might be in.
Our Society was founded in 1968. We are 53 years into our journey as a Society, but, I argue, we are still young. Many things have happened during this half century, lots of growth and lots of changes, some easy, some tumultuous, but all things have been important and contributed to where we are now. I think we are in the Autumn season in some ways. We are very sophisticated (consider our electronic outreach through podcasts alone), and we have a recent history of a pretty terrific pivot in a pandemic. We have a stellar journal, great members, and a wonderful support staff at the national office. In the Society, on a practical basis, in autumn, we pause and reflect on what has been accomplished in the previous year, and we consider and plan what strategies and projects and plans we should have for the following year.
Clearly, 2021 was a landmark, and one that will certainly affect healthcare coding and reimbursement for the years and decades ahead. In October 2021, ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision) codes for irritant contact dermatitis due to/related to 5 categorical causes have been released and are active for use. The causes are as follows: (1) friction or contact with body fluids; (2) saliva or digestive secretions; (3) respiratory secretion; (4) fecal, urinary, or dual incontinence; and (5) stoma or fistula secretions. The use of the ICD-10 codes is a huge mark on the healthcare world! We now have a codified way to name the very real skin conditions that lacked the ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification) codes essential for naming and data capture. We now have a pathway to quantify patients who have these conditions; and we have a way forward to prove need and even costs and other factors related to the medicoeconomics of caring for some of our patients. It takes much more work than you can imagine to accomplish a feat of this magnitude, and now that the codes are here, they will be here for a long while to come. This accomplishment was due to the hard work over a multiyear period of Dr Donna Bliss, Dr Mikel Gray, and Laurie McNichol. Not be to be forgotten was some early groundwork done by colleagues Dr Joyce Black and Dr Mary Arnold-Long.
You may have seen or heard messages about these new codes from the Society, and you will certainly learn more about the entire journey in this journal. A session was offered at WOCNext 2021, and that is available on the CEC. This is complex work ... so please raise a glass of cider with me to our colleagues for legacy work that will influence healthcare reimbursement and skin issues for years to come!
Autumn is also the time for Strategic Planning for the Society. This meeting, already held in September, is a place where we consider where we need to go next. In my previous message, I shared some important initiatives, but there is one particular initiative that I really want to highlight: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I call this DEI for short, and while our Society certainly does not discriminate on any DEI criteria, we must do more. I think now is the time to formally begin to have some activity and visibility on this issue. You will see and hear more about DEI as we move forward. It is imperative that as the Society continues to grow that we are certain that we are doing all that is needed to build an inclusive organization. I cannot tell you what that will look like, but I can promise to work hard to get this done. You know, lots of people have discussed DEI in a lot of ways over the years, but in the Autumn, it is now time to turn a new page, clear the leaves, and find a path forward to ensure that inclusion is evident.
Respectfully,
Dea Kent, DNP, MSN, RN, NP-C, CWOCN
President
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society