Nuevo nomenclátor estandarizado en oftalmología: Criterios e indicadores cuantitativos de baremación de actos médicos / A new standardised nomenclature in ophthalmology: Criteria and quantitative evaluation indicators of medical procedures

OBJETIVO: Elaborar un nuevo nomenclátor de actos y procedimientos médicos en oftalmología, basado en la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades CIE-9-MC. Establecer los principios generales y definir los criterios de baremación, indicadores cuantitativos y escalas de valoración. Determinar los algoritmos necesarios para el cómputo de las tarifas retributivas por acto médico. MÉTODOS: Sobre el nomenclátor vigente, se eliminaron los procesos obsoletos, añadieron otros nuevos, modificaron descriptores, agruparon procedimientos con descripciones similares y trasladaron de grupo otros, por razones de complejidad quirúrgica. Se definieron los criterios de baremación para el cálculo de las retribuciones médicas: formación y complejidad (U), responsabilidad profesional (R) y valor salud (V), con sus indicadores cuantitativos, respectivamente: periodo de formación necesario para dominar una técnica, frecuencia de complicaciones que agravan la situación preoperatoria, y días de incapacidad laboral que ocasiona el proceso. Se definieron las Unidades Relativas de Valor (URV) como la suma de puntos de U, R y V. La tarifa final por acto médico se calculará como el producto del número de URV por su coste unitario y por el coeficiente de ponderación (CP). RESULTADOS: Se elaboró un nuevo nomenclátor con 161 actos médicos agrupados en consultas, procedimientos diagnósticos (PR.DX), procedimientos terapéuticos (PR.TX) e intervenciones quirúrgicas (IQ) crecientes en complejidad desde el grupo 0 hasta el grupo 8. Para cada uno de los actos se describieron los siguientes caracteres: códigos OMC y CIE-9-MC, término descriptor, grupo, modificación propuesta: sin cambios o mínimos en los descriptores, agrupación de actos por definiciones similares, cambio de grupo de origen, actos eliminados y nuevos procedimientos. Asimismo, fueron puntuados los tres criterios de baremación: U entre 1-4, R entre 0-3 y V entre 0-3. Mediante su suma se calcularon el número de URV por acto médico (entre 1 y 10), que junto con el coste unitario de la URV y el CP (entre 0,05 y 1) determinarán la tarifa final. CONCLUSIONES: El nuevo nomenclátor de oftalmología actualiza y mejora el catálogo antiguo, adecuando los procedimientos a los descriptores recogidos en la CIE-9-MC e incorporando todas las técnicas actuales. Adicionalmente, la declaración de los principios generales permite definir nuevos criterios de baremación, indicadores cuantitativos, escalas de valoración y algoritmos de cómputo de las tarifas por acto médico

PURPOSE: To create a new list of medical procedures in ophthalmology based on the International Classification of Diseases ICD-9-CM. To establish the general principles that define criteria, quantitative indicators, and scales. To develop the algorithms needed to calculate fees for medical procedures. METHODS: The out-of-date processes were removed from the list, and new techniques were added, descriptors were modified, procedures with similar descriptions were grouped together, and others were relocated to other group according to surgical complexity conditions. The criteria to calculate the medical fees were defined: training and complexity (U), proficient responsibility (R), and health value (V), with their respective quantitative indicators: period of training necessary to master a technique, frequency of complications that worsen the preoperative situation, and days of incapacity for work due to the process. The Relative Value Unit (RVU) was defined as the score sum of R, V and U. The final fee per medical procedure was calculated as the product of the RVU by its unit cost and by the weighting coefficient (WC). RESULTS: A new catalogue was prepared with 161 medical procedures, grouped into consultations, diagnostic procedures (DX.PR), therapeutic procedures (TX.PR), and surgical interventions, increasing in complexity from group 0 to group 8. The following characters were described for each one of the procedures: OMC and ICD-9-MC code, descriptor term, group, proposed modification: no changes or minimums in the descriptors, grouping of acts by similar definitions, change of origin group, new procedures, and procedures removed. The indicators for assessment were also scored: U between 1-4 points, and R and V between 0-3 points. Using their sum, the number of RVUs per medical procedure (between 1 and 10) was calculated which, together with the unit cost of the RVU and the WC (between 0.05 and 1), will determine the final rate. CONCLUSIONS: The new standardised ophthalmological nomenclature updates and improves the old classification, adapting the procedures to the descriptors included in the ICD-9-CM, and incorporating all the new techniques. Additionally, the declaration of the general principles allows defining new criteria, quantitative indicators, rating scales, and algorithms to calculate fees for medical procedures

[Vasoproliferative tumors of the ocular fundus]. / Tumores vasoproliferativos del fondo de ojo.

PURPOSE: To establish the differential diagnosis from choroidal melanoma and other malignant tumors. METHODS: We report 5 patients with vasoproliferative tumors studied in our Hospital since 1993; diagnosis was mainly based on clinic appearance of the lesions. Each patient had undergone indirect ophthalmoscopy and ocular echography. RESULTS: Three upon five cases (studied before 1995) were treated with brachytherapy with Ir(192) because they were suspected to be choroidal melanomas. Periodical observation and treatment of associated complications was the treatment of choice in two other cases in which these complications determined the final visual acuity. CONCLUSION: It is important to establish the differential diagnosis between choroidal melanoma and other malignant tumors, as their prognosis and treatment are different.

[Risk factors of small choroidal melanocytic lesions]. / Factores de riesgo en tumores melanocíticos coroideos de pequeño tamaño.

PURPOSE: To detect the possible predictive factors of tumor spread or future growth of the small choroidal melanocytic lesions. METHODS: Retrospective review of the clinical medical histories of fourteen patients with small choroidal melanocytic lesions --< or =3mm in thickness-, which due to these features could be confused with choroidal nevus. Few clinical parameters are assessed: tumor thickness, posterior tumor margin touching the optic disc, symptoms and documented tumor growth as main prognostic features. RESULTS: Tumor growth was seen in only one patient, whose tumor was treated with epiescleral iridium-192-wires, showing relapse later on. No other patient showed tumor growth, assessed by echography A-B and ocular fundus photography. One of those had symptoms with no other risk factor. Two patients had the tumor located beside the optic disc, one of which presented decreased vision and therefore we had to photocoagulate the tumor. A minimun of six months follow-up was performed in all the patients. CONCLUSIONS: With the criteria applied in our series of small choroidal melanocytic lesions, expectant observation is a valid treatment due to the small tumor growth risk. Thanks to echography and to the precise comparison between ocular fundus photographs to detect minimun growth, a simple follow-up is useful and early conservative treatment is still available.