ACR praises Rep. Diane Black, ICD-TEN Act to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding system

The American College of Rheumatology praised U.S. Representative Diane Black, R-Tenn., for introducing the ICD-TEN Act that, if passed, would institute an 18-month “safe harbor” period after the Oct. 1, 2015, deadline to transition from the use of ICD-9 codes to ICD-10 codes.

The intention of the bill is to help physicians, administrative staff and medical records management professionals adapt to the changes in coding of patient records, according to a press release from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

“As with any major technological overhaul, the transition to ICD-10 will not come without challenges. Providers across the U.S. deserve assurance from CMS that the system is fully functioning,” William Harvey, MD, MSc, FACR, a practicing rheumatologist and chair of the ACR Government Affairs Committee, said in the release. “This assurance, along with an 18-month transition period that allows physicians and IT professionals to adjust to any initial ‘kinks’ in the system - without the threat of nonpayment looming overhead - will allow both providers and CMS to move forward with ICD-10 in a responsible way.”

Black introduced the bill, H.R. 2247, on May 12. The bill requires the CMS to conduct complete, end-to-end testing of the system prior to implementation and to certify to Congress that the Medicare fee-for-service claims processing system is fully functioning after transitioning to the ICD-10 standard.

“I believe transitioning to ICD-10 is needed and will help improve health care delivery in the long run, but we must ensure the transition is as smooth as possible,” Black said. “An 18-month transition period allows us to innovate without putting our nation’s most vulnerable providers, and the patients who rely on their services, at risk.”

Reference: www.rheumatology.org.