ICD-10 Delay - Latest News on Coding

With all the hype that went into the launch of ICD-10, there is a lot of debate on how the delay, signed into law by President Obama on April 2, will affect the healthcare community. The 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems was slated to go live this year, but that changed when Congress passed H.R. 4302. How will the wasted momentum affect medical practices and EHR implementation? H.R. 4302 Provision H.R. 4302 allows for a one-year delay in the compliance deadline for ICD-10. H.R. 4302 prevents cuts to payments under the sustainable growth formula. This reprieve provides for practices not ready to meet the demands of ICD-10 yet even in light of previous delays. This is the exact opposite of what CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner promised those attending the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference. Attendees stressed the need to proceed with implementation of the new coding system, and Tavenner stated there were no more planned delays. Why Another Delay was Necessary Governing bodies on the ICD-10 Coalition are admitting that many members of the healthcare industry are not ready to move to ICD-10 code sets. The transition is not an easy one. ICD-10 expands codes to 14,400 different options, and that is a significant increase over ICD-9. The goal of ICD-10 is to provide a more robust system of coding to enable better exchange of health care data. Pushing back the compliance date is part o...
Source: EMR EHR Blog for Physicians - Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Source Type: blogs