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HHS announces intent to delay ICD-10 compliance date

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Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen G. Sebelius has announced that the department will initiated a process to postpone the date by which certain health care entities have to comply with International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition diagnosis and procedure codes.

According to a news release, the final rule adopting International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) as a standard was published in January 2009, setting a compliance date of Oct. 1, 2013. This was a 2-year delay from the compliance date initially specified in the rule proposed in 2008.

The new compliance date will be announced by Health and Human Services in the future.

“ICD-10 codes are important to many positive improvements in our health care system,” Sebelius stated in the release. “We have heard from many in the provider community who have concerns about the administrative burdens they face in the years ahead. We are committing to work with the provider community to reexamine the pace at which HHS and the nation implement these important improvements to our health care system.”

In a statement issued by the American Medical Association (AMA), Peter W. Carmel, MD, AMA president, applauded HHS and Sebelius for their response to what the AMA deemed “serious concerns.”

“The timing of the ICD-10 transition could not be worse for physicians as they are spending significant financial and administrative resources implementing electronic health records in their practices and trying to comply with multiple quality and health information technology programs that include penalties for noncompliance,” Carmel stated. “Burdens on physician practices need to be reduced — not created — as the nation’s health care system undertakes significant payment and delivery reforms.”

“We look forward to having a productive dialogue with the administration regarding the impact of ICD-10 and decreasing unnecessary hassles for physicians so they can take care of their patients,” he added.

Reference:

• www.ama-assn.org
• www.hhs.gov

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