AHIMA Weighs in on ICD-10 Delay as Deadline to Submit Comments Approaches
The proposed rule to delay the compliance date for ICD-10 from Oct. 1, 2013 to Oct. 1, 2014 is posted to the Federal Register, and there is only 1 week left in the 30-day comment period.
When proposing the delay to ICD-10, HHS took into consideration feedback that some provider groups have concerns about their ability to meet the Oct. 1, 2013 ICD-10 compliance date, based in part on implementation issues they have experienced meeting HHS’ compliance deadline for Version 5010 standards.
All HIPAA-covered entities must transition to ICD-10 to assure there is a smooth transition between provider organizations and trading partners, which will help avoid rejected claims and provider payment delays. By delaying the compliance date for ICD-10, as proposed in this rule, providers and other covered entities will have more time to prepare and fully test their systems to ensure a smooth and coordinated transition among all industry segments.
Not all groups, however, agree with HHS’ proposed compliance date change. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) filed its comment letter today and continues to recommend there be no delay in the ICD-10 compliance deadline. Since a delay is likely, AHIMA stated it will continue to work with HHS and the healthcare industry to ensure the delay is as short as possible, preferably not more than 1 year.
“ICD-9 is antiquated and no longer adequately meets the challenge of a 21st century healthcare system,” said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, FACHE, in an AHIMA press release. “ICD-10 should be implemented in a timely manner, and AHIMA is ready to continue assisting the healthcare community to prepare for the transition. We also encourage advance testing of the ICD-10 codes to be sure there are no further delays in the implementation deadline.”
According the AHIMA, a delay of more than 1 year would cause additional confusion for colleges and universities as to what they should be teaching. Students already have been trained in ICD-10 and are forced to use ICD-9-CM when they enter the work force.
AHIMA also advocated in the letter that transitioning directly to ICD-11 is not a viable option as implementation would not occur until after 2020, even in a best case scenario. In addition, the structure for ICD-10-CM/PCS is designed to make current and future healthcare technology systems ready for an easy transition to ICD-11.
To read about comments submitted by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), click here.
All comments are due to HHS no later than 5:00 pm ET on May 17, 2012, and can be submitted electronically by following the ‘‘Submit a comment’’ at Regulations.gov or by regular mail sent to:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS–0040–P
P.O. Box 8013
Baltimore, MD 21244–8013
Will you be commenting on the proposed rule? If so, what are your thoughts on delaying the compliance date?