This fall, the healthcare industry needs to be ready to meet the ICD-10 compliance deadline. If medical providers or insurers are not prepared by October 1, 2015, ICD-10 could negatively impact their entity when filing and processing claims.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) currently have a countdown on their website calculating the time left until the ICD-10 compliance deadline. There are only 175 days left until providers and payers must transition to the new coding set.
While CMS does provide a variety of resources like the Road to 10 web-based materials, the latest survey results from the Workgroup for Electronic Data Exchange (WEDI) shows that many healthcare entities may not be as ready for the ICD-10 transition as hoped.
CNBC reported on the medical industry’s concerns with the ICD-10 implementation. Regarding the switch over from the ICD-9 coding set, Dr. Andrew Kleinman, a plastic surgeon in New York, told the news source that “small practices are very worried about it.”
Even though there are hospital administrators and coders who fear billing issues after the ICD-10 compliance deadline, there are important advantages the new coding system brings that can’t be discounted. By enhancing the diagnostic codes and removing an outdated system that was put in place more than 30 years ago, the quality of care for patients should improve.
The number of codes under ICD-10 will increase from approximately 17,000 to more than 140,000, which will help physicians collect more detailed and diverse data for a variety of symptoms across a multitude of medical conditions. Healthcare personnel including nurses, physicians, and coders need to be trained sufficiently in the new coding set to prepare for the ICD-10 compliance deadline.
Even though it is unlikely that there will be another ICD-10 delay, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) hasn’t technically been passed by the Senate. As previously reported, the House of Representatives passed the SGR bill in a landslide vote of 392 to 37 and no language about an ICD-10 delay was included in the legislation.
However, The Hill publication stated that there may be Senate opposition from the Republican side with regard to passing the SGR bill. While there is no knowledge on who may wish to block the bill, the Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) showed criticism toward the legislation when it was first introduced.
Despite any suspicions of a potential ICD-10 delay, those in the medical industry would benefit from expecting no changes regarding the ICD-10 compliance deadline. At this moment in time, healthcare providers have less than six months to prepare for the transition to the new coding set. Training staff, upgrading to compliant technologies, and testing new systems will be key to preparing for the ICD-10 compliance deadline.
“Healthcare technology, particularly health IT, is an area where a great deal of innovation is taking place, leading to the creation of new jobs,” Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said in a public statement. “And as we work to transform our healthcare delivery system to one that is smarter, provides better care and spends our dollars more wisely, there is a tremendous opportunity to improve value and choice for consumers and providers by empowering them with information.”
