As many of you may have heard, yesterday HHS announced a proposed rule that would delay the compliance date of ICD-10 for one year, from October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014.
While we have stated our opposition to a delay, we are pleased that HHS has issued a proposed date so that people can move forward and properly plan with a new date in effect.
We also applaud HHS for addressing the added costs this delay will cause. They state a 1-year delay would add 10 to 30 percent to the cost—or $1 to 6.4 billion— for entities that have spent or budgeted for the transition. It’s disappointing that those who were properly preparing will incur these penalties, but what’s more of a concern is the message it sends about the ability to procrastinate. While some organizations may think, “Why should we prepare early, we might get penalized,” that’s not a gamble we would want to take.
Despite the fact that groups like the AMA opposed ICD-10 because of it’s financial burden, HHS explains the reason for a delay is to allow ample time between implementation of Version 5010 (now going into effect June 2012), which is needed before ICD-10 can be implemented.
One thing is clear in the HHS proposal. They have no intent to completely kill ICD-10 and move to ICD-11. ICD-10 is coming, albeit a year later than anticipated, and organizations need to prepare.
What now? Organizations will need to re-evaluate their timelines. If you were behind the ball before, now is your chance to get on track. If you were already on track for the 2013 deadline, it doesn’t mean you can do nothing for the next 12 months. Spend the time improving on any weaknesses such as documentation by clinicians and work to cultivate relationships between clinicians and coders. Here are 10 more steps you can take to be properly prepared.
Tell us in the comments, how do you feel about the one year delay?
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