Indagine e analisi comparativa delle procedure di codifica nella Terapia del Dolore in Italia

Abstract

This paper proposes a survey of services provided by Pain Therapy Centers in Italy through an analysis of the codes used to identify diagnostic procedures, diagnoses and the type of care setting. The study was carried out both quantitatively, by aggregating the data from the comparative analyses, and qualitatively in order to detect variability in the use of clinical coding systems for the identification of diagnosis, procedure, care setting and possible differences in the pricing system. The overview reveals the lack of uniformity in a relatively new discipline which has undergone a significant regulatory reorganization and has been greatly improved by technological-instrumental advances. This work will lay the groundwork towards an assessment of Pain Therapy’s care quality in Italy and consequent efforts that are needed in order to define a common care model to ensure prompt and appropriate patient care.