SPT-Fall2014

are required by HIPAA standards, and
thus even for those who currently use the
DSM, these diagnoses are translated into
ICD codes for billing and reimbursement
purposes. This chapter provides the
necessary background information for
those who do not understand the ICD and
provides a framework for why
transitioning to the ICD system is
practical for psychologists in the United
States.
Chapter 3 begins to explain in detail why
adoption of the ICD-10-CM is necessary,
notably that it will provide better health
monitoring and classification via a
“wider range of diagnostic scope and
content” (p. 21). According to the
primer, the new ICD-10-CM is easy to
use because it consists of ten categories
of diagnoses for mental health that are
easy to navigate. Multiple examples are
provided utilizing the value structure of
the codes that help make clear the codes’
structure, and a number of resources for
easily converting DSM codes into ICD-
10-CM codes are provided on page 25.
Many coding incompatibilities are noted
between ICD-10 and ICD-10-CM due to
differences in diagnosis categories
between the ICD-10 and the DSM. An
example being F41.2 (mixed anxiety and
depression disorder), which is included
in the ICD-10 but omitted in the ICD-10-
CM, making the codes skip at times.
Goodheart notes “remember the basic
rule: Use an ICD-10-CM code if you are
billing a third-party payer” else the claim
will be rejected (p. 35).
Goodheart claims that “the greatest
benefits of ICD-10-CM accrue mainly to
those who aggregate and analyze large
amounts of health data”, rather than
practicing clinicians (p. 40). This will
primarily improve cross comparison of
morbidity and mortality statistics, quite
useful for public health. As a note to
epidemiologists and health researchers,
GEM’s (General Equivalence Maps) are
noted as way to convert from ICD-9-CM
to ICD-10-CM or vice versa for
continuity purposes. Goodheart’s major
complaint as to ICD-10-CM’s failure to
drastically improve practice is that the
ICD-10 is already 20 years old and that
the main struggle in practice is the
accuracy of codes, not necessarily the
need for more codes, which is the main
difference between ICD-10-CM and ICD
-9-CM. Further problems of clinical
utility, reliability, and validity are
discussed.
Before ending with the full ICD-10-CM
code list for mental disorders, Goodheart
gives a brief preview of ICD-11. The
primer provides an introduction to ICD
with reasons for why its use should be
considered, explains differences between
ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM, and
previews the ICD-11. The most useful
component of this book is the appendix,
consisting of the list of codes for the ICD
-10-CM. Another very important part of
this book is the listed resources for
converting codes on page 25.
I am not sure that this guide will “pave
the way for the use of ICD-11”, but it
does give an overview of the use of ICD-
10-CM assuming a previous knowledge
of ICD in general. Without some
previous knowledge of ICD, this primer
likely will not provide sufficient
information for converting it to practice.
Clinical Implications of the
Psychoanalyst’s Life Experience:
When the Personal Becomes
Professional.
Edited by Steven Kuchuck, 2014
Reviewed by Phillipe Kleefield, New
York University
Steven Kuchuck has compiled and edited
essays written by several professionals
working in the field of mental health in
hopes of addressing a dearth of academic
writing that provides a space for
clinicians to express their personal
stories. Dividing Clinical Implications of
the Psychoanalyst’s Life Experience into
two parts, the book starts by addressing
early life experiences compelling
clinicians to enter the field of mental
health and culminates with essays
addressing later life events within
clinicians’ lives as examined through a
psychoanalytic lens. This book is clearly
written for professionals but could also
be useful for graduate students training to
work in the field of mental health.
Although the different essays cover a
wide range of topics, they’re brought
together by what reads as the different
authors using their essays as a respite, a
means by which to simply express
themselves. The usefulness of this book
is more theoretical than practical, an
enjoyable and interesting read into the
personal lives of different clinicians.
The theme of the first part of the book
appears to reflect on clinicians’ personal
experiences that influenced their current
practice. What is most striking about
these different essays is their ability to
create a sense of engagement with each
author, due to the honest, personable and
fair style in which they are written.
Reading these essays you sense that you
are “getting” these divergent clinicians—
you understand where they are coming
from and also experience some of what
the authors are writing about.
The essays in the second part of the book
read as more mature; yet, they continue
to preserve an honest and self-reflective
style in their approaches to their
respective subject matter. Addressing
less inchoately formative experiences,
these essays focus on issues that
clinicians dealt with in their personal
lives in their more adult years. While
these different essays focus on very
personal issues, they continue to weave
the professional dimensions in.
Overall, Clinical Implications of The
Psychoanalyst’s Life Experience is an
engaging read of interest to professionals
who are looking to step out of their own
figurative shoes and see where their
colleagues are coming from. Kuchuck
aimed to create an academic space
devoted to the lived experiences of
clinicians and I think that through this
compilation of essays he was successful
in accomplishing this.
Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Fall 2014 | Volume 4 Number 2 | page 101