Celebrate World Heart Day on September 29 – Keep Your Heart Healthy

by | Last updated Jul 3, 2023 | Published on Sep 28, 2018 | Healthcare News

World Heart Day September 29
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A campaign established to spread awareness about heart health among common people all through the world – “World Heart Day (WHD)” – is observed on September 29 every year. Sponsored by the World Heart Federation (WHF), the campaign is the world’s biggest platform for spreading awareness about cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke. The 2018 global campaign focuses on the need for looking after our own hearts as well the hearts of our loved ones. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with reports suggesting about 17.5 million people dying from these diseases every year. This figure is more than that of people who die from HIV, malaria, and cancer. CVD is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels that is usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots. CVD can lead to high blood pressure, high total cholesterol or high blood glucose levels. Obesity, unhealthy diet, high blood pressure/blood cholesterol/blood glucose levels, physical inactivity, family history of heart disease, smoking and alcohol use are some of the factors that can trigger heart disease. According to the World Heart Federation, at least 80% of premature deaths (because of cardiovascular diseases) can be prevented by managing four main risk factors – unhealthy diet, tobacco use, lack of physical activity and use of alcohol. Prevention of CVD can be done by incorporating positive lifestyle changes that give equal importance to healthy diet and physical exercise. For correct clinical documentation of CVD, physicians can consider medical billing outsourcing services.

In most cases, the exact cause of CVD is not known, but a combination of factors can increase your risk of getting heart disease. Common symptoms of CVD include chest pain and tightness, chest pressure and discomfort (angina), shortness of breath, racing heartbeat (tachycardia), pain, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms, fatigue, and fainting (syncope) or near fainting.
There is no single, definitive test that confirms the presence of CVD. The specific tests to be conducted may mainly depend on the type of heart disease a person is suffering from and its related severity. Cardiologists treating CVD may conduct a detailed physical examination and evaluate the previous medical history before doing any diagnostic tests. Cardiologists may recommend a combination of imaging tests and blood tests such as electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac catheterization, Holter monitoring, cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), chest X-ray and stress test to accurately diagnose the type of heart disease. The major objective behind these tests is to identify the heart condition early so that it can be treated more effectively, without any further complications.

Physicians/cardiologists offering treatment have to report the correct diagnostic and procedural codes on the medical claims to obtain due coverage. Medical billing and coding services offered by experienced providers ensure that the correct ICD-10 codes such as the following are used for medical billing purposes.

I50 – Heart failure

  • I50.1 – Left ventricular failure, unspecified

I50.2 – Systolic (congestive) heart failure

  • I50.20 – Unspecified systolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.21 – Acute systolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.22 – Chronic systolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.23 – Acute on chronic systolic (congestive) heart failure

I50.3 – Diastolic (congestive) heart failure

  • I50.30 – Unspecified diastolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.31 – Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.32 – Chronic diastolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.33 – Acute on chronic diastolic (congestive) heart failure

I50.4 – Combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure

  • I50.40 – Unspecified combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.41 – Acute combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.42 – Chronic combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure
  • I50.43 – Acute on chronic combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure

I50.8 – Other heart failure

I50.81 – Right heart failure

  • I50.810 – Other heart failure, unspecified
  • I50.811 – Acute right heart failure
  • I50.812 – Chronic right heart failure
  • I50.813 – Acute on chronic right heart failure
  • I50.814 – Acute on chronic right heart failure, due to left heart failure

I50.82 – Biventricular heart failure

  • I50.83 – High output heart failure
  • I50.84 – End stage heart failure
  • I50.89 – Other heart failure

I50.9 – Heart failure, unspecified

The World Heart Federation (WHF), in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) first announced the establishment of “World Heart Day (WHD)” in the year 1999. The idea for this observance was first proposed by Antoni Bayés de Luna, president of WHF (from the year 1997-1999).

WHD was first observed in the year 2000 as an annual event on the last Sunday in the month of September. Over the next 13 years, WHF launched a number of initiatives which aimed to increase the attention given to cardiovascular diseases. However, it was in the year 2013 that the WHF decided to fix September 29 as the day for this observance. Both governmental and non-governmental organizations celebrate this day all over the globe.

The theme for the 2018 campaign is – “My Heart, Your Heart”. The theme is all about saying to ourselves, the people we care about, and individuals all around the world, “What can I do right now to look after “My Heart and Your Heart”. It also resonates with the professional cardiology and healthcare audiences who dedicate themselves to looking after all our hearts.

As part of the 2018 one-day campaign, several annual events or activities will be coordinated by the World Heart Federation (WHF) and World Health Organization (WHO). Healthcare organizations across the world are hosting a variety of community and clinical activities like sports events (including walks, runs and fitness sessions), health checks, public talks, exhibitions and science fairs to create awareness about screening and treatment for CVD. In addition, some landmarks, monuments, and famous buildings choose to go red on this day as a symbol of cardiovascular disease awareness.

Join World Heart Day (WHD) campaign on September 29. Encourage others to make lifestyle changes and promote education internationally to live with a healthy heart.

Rajeev Rajagopal

Rajeev Rajagopal, the President of OSI, has a wealth of experience as a healthcare business consultant in the United States. He has a keen understanding of current medical billing and coding standards.

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