ICD-10 survey: Majority ‘disappointed’ by delay

The American Health Information Management Association recently convened an ICD-10 summit in Washington, D.C. There, 69 participants responded to a survey about the delay of ICD-10 implementation, and the response was largely negative.

An overwhelming majority, 88%, said they were “disappointed” by the decision to delay ICD-10 implementation, according to a report. Fewer than 10 of the 69 respondents described their reaction to the delay as “relieved.”

Fifty percent of 62 total respondents said they would voluntarily begin using the new codes by October 2014 if they were allowed to do so. Finances and prior time investment may help drive those numbers; 42% of 54 respondents reported that their organization spent over $1 million on the task of moving toward implementation. Less than 15 respondents reported spending between $100,000 and $500,000, and fewer than five respondents said their organization spent less than $100,000. Fifteen of the 54 respondents said they were unaware of what had been spent.

For the most part, respondents said they preferred to implement the use of the entire code system all at once, rather than in a piecemeal fashion. Nearly all of 59 respondents (91%) said that putting the coding system into place in stages, with different provider types enacting the system at different times, was not a good idea, while only 54% of 57 respondents opposed lifting the freeze on the use of a partial code set.

“This year’s Summit provided a valuable opportunity to assemble many of the key players in the ICD-10 transition and take the pulse of the industry,” AHIMA CEO, Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE, FAHIMA, said in a press release.

Acting deputy director of the Office of E-Health Standards and Services at the CMS, Denise Buenning, MsM, said she expects a new implementation date to be released by the Department of Health and Human Services in the near future, according to the release.